Diff'rent Strokes for Diff'rent Stokes
by bauerfreak
Summary: Sequel to Losing My Grip. AU: Nick and Sara raise his daughter Mally, and their three year old twins, Bailey and Aidan. Story three in the Mally Universe.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so I lied. I so wanted to start this sequel. I'll write the other fics later.  Hope you don't mind. I can't think of a good title right now, so I hope you'll help me out. I took "Losing My Grip" from the Avril Lavigne song – maybe I should start an Avril theme – any ideas? Please review, and enjoy!

"I'm going to count to three." Came the familiar threat from Sara Stokes' mouth. She was currently trying to get the twins to take a bath. Aidan was being a good boy and he waited in the bathroom, slowly taking off his clothes, but Bailey, ever the argumentative one, stood in the hallway with her arms crossed. She took after her father.

"One…" She didn't budge.

"Two…."

"Nooooo!" She stamped her foot, getting upset, because she knew her father would be mad when he got home if he found out she'd disobeyed her mother again. Bailey stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door. Sara sighed and opened the door again. She'd left the water running on warm, but told Aidan to wait until she got there. He always listened, unlike Bailey.

The three year old little girl angrily stripped her clothes off, pouting the entire time. Sara helped her son into the tub and turned off the water. She reached back to get her daughter, but her hand was pushed away. Bailey was at that independent age.

"I can do it myself." She told her mother. Carefully, she placed her hands on the side and worked her way into the tub, causing a bit too much splash. Sara was okay with that though, now that she'd gotten the kid into the tub. These days, she had to choose her battles.

From day one, the twins had been wildly different. Aidan was very easy going, and the perfect baby. He only cried when he needed something, let anyone hold him, and was a good eater. Bailey, however, threw fits from day one. She was definitely the wild child. The little girl was colicky, and very tempestuous. She demanded things and was always very sure of herself. Bailey wasn't a complete terror, but she knew exactly what she wanted. For the most part, she was still very loving, but she was a firecracker.

Sara quickly got down to business, washing the twins as they happily played in the tub. She was getting Aidan out of the tub when someone finally walked into the house. By the sound of it, it was teenaged.

"Mal? Is that you?" Sara called from the bathroom, the door slightly open.

"Yeah." The high school senior plopped her backpack on the floor and sighed, heading back to the bathroom.

"Could you give me a hand?" Sara was trying to dry her son while Bailey was standing up in the tub, ready to get out also.

Mally walked into the bathroom and saw her baby sister standing up in the tub, about to pour a bucket of water on the floor.

"Woah, woah, woah, Bails." She stopped her just in time, setting the toy back in the water. "We don't want to make a mess."

The little girl smiled at her big sister, someone she looked up to like any young child would. She loved Mally, and almost always did what she said.

"Mawwy!" She exclaimed, reaching up for her.

"Hold on." Mally told her before getting a wet hug. She grabbed a towel and draped it over her shoulders, picking her up and gently setting her on the mat. Mally wrapped the towel around her sister and then brought her into a big hug, giving her kisses on the cheek. The senior was a huge help with the twins, ever since they were born back when she was a freshman. Both of them adored her, and she loved them back with all her heart.

"Thanks a lot, Mal." Sara told her step-daughter, wrapping her son in a towel.

"No problem, mom." Mally told her, and they both picked the kids up and took them to their room. Mally had long since started calling Sara 'mom', mostly due to having the twins around. 'Let's go find your mom' turned into 'Let's go find mom', which evolved into Mally just calling Sara 'mom'. It was just more practical, plus the twins would probably ask so many questions about why their big sister called mom 'Sara'. The whole ordeal had turned out to be very anti-climatic, unlike in the movies when a child would call her stepmother 'mom' for the first time – it just came naturally, popping out one day.

Nick and Sara had decided to have the twins share a room at least until they were about five for practical purposes. They tried to keep the pair on about the same schedule, and it was just easier. Sara and Mally helped them get into their clothes again, when they all heard the garage door open.

"Daddy!" The twins yelled at the same time and started dashing out to meet him. Sara was barely able to get Aidan's shirt all the way on before he darted away. Nick would never tire of having his children run to him when he got home – it was one of his most treasured moments with his kids.

He squatted down, putting his arms out, and braced himself for the two balls of energy that ran at full force towards him. Aidan was a little faster and got to him first, Bailey joining him a second later.

"Heyyyyy!" He smiled, hugging both at once. "I missed you."

"Missed you more!" Aidan told him, pulling back.

"Missed you mostest!" Bailey tried to top him. Nick stood up and the toddlers waddled after him as he set his workbag on the counter and threw his keys and sunglasses down. He reached down and picked Aidan up as Bailey snuck around and hopped on his back. As he stood, he let out an exaggerated groan, though two 3-year-olds were pretty heavy. Mally and Sara walked in, finding Nick in his usual role as human jungle gym.

"Hi, baby." Sara greeted him with a smile, and walked over to, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Aidan reached out and pet his mother's head.

"Hi mommy." He said.

"Hi, squirt." She gave him an Eskimo kiss and then a real one. "Guys, you need to let daddy rest. He's had a long day."

Both of the twins protested, but Nick couldn't agree more. He loved his kids, but he really wanted to crash on the couch right now after another long shift. Nick and Sara had both finally decided to switch to day shift with two toddlers and a teenager at home, but they alternated days at home, occasionally pulling some overtime. CSI had been good to them about scheduling and keeping it conducive to raising a family.

Nick reluctantly crouched down, feeling his daughter slide off his back, and then placing his son down on the floor. They both still hovered around their beloved daddy. Whoever had the day off cooked dinner, and Sara was preparing the easy meal of spaghetti, the twins' favorite.

Now that the twins were off him, Nick walked over to his oldest daughter and gave her a kiss and a hug. They were still best buds, though they'd had their share of drama throughout her teen years. Mally was like any other teen girl, experimenting (responsibly), making some mistakes, but overall being a pretty good kid. Nick couldn't be happier with the way she was turning out, and he was dreading next year when she would head off to college. He couldn't bear to have her away for more than a few days at a time. It was that much harder for Nick, having raised her single-handedly up until she was about eleven.

"How was your day, sweetheart?" He asked her.

"Not too bad. Really busy again." She told him. It was fall, so the softball season was still in swing at her school, and she also was a member of the Winter Guard, which would start up soon. It had become a nice alternative for her between some ballet, and some jazz dancing, along with throwing around flags.

"I bet you are. Did you get your science test back?" He popped a pretzel in his mouth from a bag on the counter.

Mally was dreading her parents asking her that question. Unlike them, she hated science with a passion, and it about killed Nick and Sara. The girl had absolutely no interest in anything scientific. She had always been more of a creative thinker, excelling in English and creative writing, as well as dance. Nick knew she got this from her birth mother. He was so proud of his daughter, but really wished she would try to get into science more.

"Yeah." She grimaced.

"And…." Nick prompted her, getting the hint it wasn't good news at the way she was holding back.

"I got a C-." She told him, disappointed in herself. Mally tried so hard at school for the most part, though she slacked a bit in her chemistry class. Nick and Sara had spent countless hours trying to tutor her, as well as getting after school help. They couldn't be mad at her if she was trying.

"Alright. That's not too bad." He lied, watching the twins closely as they went about playing and taunting each other a little. "We'll work on it some more after a few days, okay? Don't give up." Nick knew she'd need a break after getting a low grade on a test. He hated to pressure her, but if she wanted to get in a good college, she'd need to bring her science average up.

"Yeah, okay." She said, though Nick could tell she was far from enthused. Nick patted her on the back and gave her another kiss on the forehead before walking over to Sara. Mally decided to head back to her room, now that both parents were home to watch the twins. He stood next to her at the stove, and put a hand on her back, stroking it gently.

"And how was your day?" He whispered softly into her ear as she forked at the still dry spaghetti strands.

"Long and trying…" She smiled, looking at the twins playing with some blocks on their messy living room floor. "But good." Sara said. The twins could be a handful, but she loved them with all her heart.

"You do a great job." Nick told her, and peppered her with slow, loving kisses all over the side of her face, but still keeping it PG. The twins weren't paying attention anyway. Sara giggled a little as she stirred, looking forward to their much-needed alone time at night. Bailey was starting to bat her brother on the head with a block, laughing, so Nick gave his wife's butt a squeeze and kissed her, before going over to the little rugrats.

"Hey, Bails, you need to play nice." Nick told his daughter in a gentle tone as he sat down on the floor with them.

"He likes it!" Bailey laughed as she continued. Nick reached out and gently took the block from her hand and led her arm back to her side. He asked Aidan if he was okay and he nodded his head, not even caring, seemingly. Aidan was such an easy-going kid.

"We don't smack people on the head, Bailey. It's not nice." He told her. They continued to play nicely for the next few minutes with Nick there to entertain them, making funny noises and faces as they built things together. Sara was straining the spaghetti, so Nick went to set the table.

While Nick was laying the mats out, he heard a cry from the next room, instantly recognizing it as Aidan's. Nick came rushing to find Bailey on top of her brother, face down, while she smacked him on the head with a block again. He was trying to get away, but Bailey was strong for a little girl.

"Bailey Catherine Stokes!" Nick called out, taking care not to yell. "Put the block down!"

Bailey looked back at her father and dropped the block. She knew her daddy meant business when he used her full name. Nick picked her up and sat her on the recliner, telling her to take a time-out, and then went back to his son, screaming bloody murder.

"Oh, Aidan." He picked him up and cradled the little boy in his arms, gently rocking him and shushing him. Nick sat down on the couch with him and held him while he calmed down. Sara was too busy dishing out dinner to help right now, but she knew her husband would handle it. She'd been dealing with it all day.

When Aidan had calmed down, he helped him back onto the floor to the blocks to play again. Then Nick squatted down at the recliner where Bailey was sitting, not looking remorseful at all. She sat with her arms crossed and her lower lip pouting, but she knew better than to get up from a time-out. Nick's hands set on the chair on either side of her, leaning over his daughter.

"Bailey, why did you hit your brother with a block after I told you not to?" He asked her seriously. She started crying as she explained it to him.

"Cuz he wasn't pwayin' fair!"

"How wasn't he playing fair?"

"He wouldn't give me the bwock I wanted!"

"Bailey, we've talked before about sharing. If Aidan's already using the block, you can't take it from him. You have to be patient."

Patient was a foreign word to the three year old. She had none. It was something the two parents worked on constantly with the little girl.

"Now, if I let you get up, will you play nicely with your brother, and share?"

"Yes, sir." She said reluctantly.

"Good." He kissed her forehead and helped her slide off the recliner. Bailey soon forgot her sadness and went back to play with her twin brother happily.

Nick walked back over to his wife, who was finishing putting the sauce on the spaghetti. He put his arm around her and kissed her head.

"Nick, you're such a guy." Sara told him as she worked, causing Nick to say, 'what' incredulously.

"You didn't ask Aidan what he did to cause Bailey to smack him on the head."

"What are you talking about?" He stepped back, not quite appreciating being drilled by his wife.

"Aidan smacked her in the face, Nick, and that caused Bailey to smack him on the head again. But you didn't ask about that."

"Bailey didn't say anything! Why didn't you say something?" He asked, kind of ticked about how this was going down. Nick wasn't yelling, but his voice was in an irritated whisper.

"I wanted to see how you handled it." She told him. "And it's true, you play favorites."

Nick gaped at the accusation, unable to speak for a moment.

"I play favorites?" He repeated, placing both hands on his hips. "Well, I'm sorry if I wasn't fully aware of the situation, and no one said anything about Aidan hitting Bailey. Am I supposed to read minds?"

"No, but you're supposed to be fair, and get both sides of the story."

"I did. Bailey said nothing."

"Because she was too upset about getting a time-out without you even asking her about it."

Nick gaped again, not even knowing where to go with this.

"Unbelievable." He muttered. Nick and Sara had been at disagreement on how to raise their children, seemingly more frequently lately. With Mally, Nick had been so used to just making a decision by himself and going with it, but now he had another parent to consult. Nick grew up in a more strict, mind-your-manners, yes-ma-am-yes-sir, type household, whereas Sara grew up in an abusive one. Sometimes Sara could be almost too permissive, because she seemed afraid they would hate her like she hated her parents. Their parenting styles had proven to be vastly different.

"If you think Aidan needs to be punished, you do it then. Because obviously I can't deal with it right."

Nick left the room and went back to their bedroom, changing out of his work clothes. He angrily peeled off his shirt and pants and threw them in the hamper, changing into more comfortable track pants and a white t-shirt. Nick loved Sara desperately, but sometimes she could just be impossible. He took a minute to take some deep breaths, not wanting to upset his children when they sat down to dinner.

When he came out, Aidan was now on the recliner in a time-out, crying softly. Nick always instinctively wanted to hold his children when they cried, something he still had to work to ignore when they were being punished. He glared at his wife as he re-entered the kitchen, getting out items needed for dinner with as much vigor as possible. The twins were smart, though, and they could sense something wasn't wrong by their parents' body language and faces. Sara looked up at them and saw this, remembering how awful she felt when her parents would argue, knowing she could do nothing about it, but just wanting it to STOP. Guiltily, she turned to Nick and placed a hand on his side from behind.

"Nicky…" She whispered. "I'm sorry."

Nick stood up straight as his wife wrapped her arms around him, and he finally gave in and started stroking her arms in support. After a few moments, he turned around and brought her into a hug.

"I'm sorry too. Let's talk about it later." He said into her hair, rubbing her back. Sometimes he forgot they were coming from two very different childhoods, and that had a lot to do with how you raised your children. Nick pulled back and gave her a slow, sensual kiss, not caring that the twins were there, his hands sitting on her hips. He turned them so that Sara was hidden by him from the twins and he gently nibbled at her ear. Nick let his hands slide around to her backside, stroking gently, and then his fingers crept into the back of her jeans, finding her somehow sexy domestic white cotton panties. Sara gasped as he ran his fingers along the edges, but then quickly removed his hands, patting her on the bottom. Sara smiled and gave a little pout, and Nick gave her another kiss.

"Later." He told her, making his eyebrows jump.

"Mommy, can I be done now?" Aidan asked from the living room, snapping the parents out of their daze.

"Yes, baby." She told him, picking up the plates and taking them to the dining room. "But next time remember, we don't hit to get what we want."

"Otay."

Nick picked up the other plates and took them to the dining room. Nick and Sara sat at either end with the twins' special booster chairs seated next to each one. Mally's place was on one side.

"Aidan, will you be a big boy and go get Mally?" Nick asked his son. Aidan loved to think he was being helpful, so he delighted at the errand. The three year old trotted off down the hall, yelling "Mawwy!" as he went. By the time he reached her room, Mally had long heard him coming and met him at the doorway. She scooped up her little brother and brought him back to the dining room, where Bailey had already been seated. Mally sat her brother down in his chair next to her father, and then sat down herself.

As they all began to eat, Mally glanced back and forth between her father and mother, each attending to one of the twins. She'd never complain, but sometimes she did miss being an only child. Being alone for fourteen years made two new babies hard to adjust to. Mally loved her brother and sister with all her heart, but sometimes she couldn't help but being a little jealous. She'd had a bad day at school, and right now needed some parental attention herself. Mally wasn't ashamed to say it: she needed her dad.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

The Grissom Household

At about the same time, Catherine had just ordered take out for the whole family, as they'd had a busy day. Catherine and Gil still worked nightshift, as Natalie didn't need them much after school anymore or ever need help with her homework. The two parents were just getting ready to go into work, but sat down around the table to eat their Chinese take out together.

"Mom, I need to take the SAT one last time." Natalie told her mother seriously. She had her mind set on Stanford, and needed to raise her standardized test score to get in. Natalie had excelled in high school to say the least, with the third highest g.p.a. in the class. She adored science just like her parents and was considering a career similar to theirs.

"Baby, you can take it as much as you want, but I don't want you to be disappointed if you don't get into Stanford. There's so many good schools out there besides Stanford."

"I know." She poked at her food, but Stanford was the school she desperately wanted to go to. Natalie had worked her ass off in high school, joining academic teams, balancing extra-curricular activities, and all the while maintaining a close to 4.0 average. It seemed that after what happened with Lindsey, she was convinced to be the absolute best she could be and prove to her family how smart she was. They were obviously very proud of their daughter, but sometimes she did seem to take things too seriously, a stark contrast from their older daughter Lindsey.

"Have you looked more at UNLV?" Gil asked his daughter, hoping and praying she would stay close to home. Stanford was a long way away and he didn't want to see his baby girl only a few times a year.

"Daaaaad." She moaned. They'd had this conversation many times. She did not want to go to a local college. Natalie wanted to spread her wings and try new things after high school.

"I just want you to think about it." He reaffirmed, like he'd already done about a dozen times.

The family returned to their meals, Gil and Catherine trying to finish quickly since they were running late. As they finished, Natalie promised to do the dishes (real hard tonight!), and then get started on her school work. Gil and Cath kissed her goodbye and then headed off to the CSI lab, leaving Natalie alone.

Any other teenager may have called friends and invited tons of people over to party by this time in her high school career, but not Natalie. She was dead set on getting good grades to get into Stanford. When she finished the dishes, she got straight to work on her AP Chemistry homework.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

It was 8:00 now, and time to put the twins to bed, which was always an ordeal. Mally tried to start on her homework and put on her iPod earphones to drown out the sounds of bedtime. She stared at her chemistry homework blankly, not understanding a word in the book. Sara had come in to ask if she needed help, and she felt a little guilty saying that she really wanted her dad tonight. He still had a special place in her heart, and always preferred him to Sara, though they got along just fine.

"Daddy, one more story, pwease!" Bailey begged her father, as he sat on her toddler bed, a twin on either side of him, snuggled up. They always wanted one more story, and if he gave in it would never end.

"No, that's it for tonight. Time for bed." He started to scoot himself down the bed to get up, both twins clinging to his arms. "No, no, no. That's it, guys, come on."

As he got up, Nick reached down and picked up Aidan, transporting him to his own bed on the other side of the room. Aidan gave in easily like he always did, allowing Nick to tuck him in and give him a goodnight kiss. Bailey was already up bouncing on her bed by the time Nick made his way back over to her.

"Bailey, what did mommy and I say about jumping on the bed?" Nick reminded her in a firm tone. Bailey immediately sat down on her bed and smiled up at him. She seemed to listen to him more for some reason, but Nick hoped that she would start respecting Sara more soon.

Nick helped the little girl now in pigtails climb under the sheets. He gave her her favorite teddy bear and then leaned down to kiss her. Bailey's arms went around his neck and she gave him a kiss on the nose, just like her mommy did sometimes.

"Thank you, sweet pea." He told. "Have a good sleep."

"Good night, daddy!" Aidan wished him in his tiny voice. He waved from his bed as Nick turned out the light. They were down….for now.

Nick sighed and went next into his oldest daughter's room, because she asked him to help with homework earlier. She seemed a little more upset than usual over school. He knew she'd been having trouble in chemistry especially, but in all her classes. Mally was still a good student, getting a mix of A's, B's, and a couple of C's this year. But he could never be mad at her if she was trying.

Nick opened her door, finding her crouched over her desk with her chemistry book open, her iPod on. She couldn't hear him come in, but Nick could hear her crying softly. Not wanting to startle her, he flipped the light off and on once. Mally quickly pawed at her face when she realized he was there, but it was too late. She took of her earphones as he walked over to her, grabbing an extra chair.

"Heyyyy…why are you so upset today?" He gently asked, putting a hand on her back and stroking gently. Nick bent to look at her face, but she covered it.

"I don't know…" She sniffled, "I just felt like crying." Mally admitted. It was an explanation she used sometimes when she was just a little over emotional from an array of different things.

"Is it about school, or something else?"

"It's just…I try so hard, and I can't get it, dad. I hate science and I'll never get it. Why do I have to take all these classes? They're wrecking my g.p.a.!" Mally sobbed, pulling out a tissue and wiping her eyes.

"Well, you have to know the basics, but I know it seems unfair." He glanced down at her book, instantly recognizing all the concepts that were being explained. Nick couldn't understand why something came so easily to him, but was impossible for his daughter. Science was never her thing, though, but it was a requirement. Nick could see she wouldn't get any quality work done tonight with her state of mind.

"I'm so stupid."

"Hey." He raised his voice. "Look at me."

Mally obeyed, with tear-stained eyes.

"Don't you ever say that. You are a bright, beautiful, wonderful young woman who has so much potential. So what if you're not good at one little thing? I suck at dancing – you've seen me. But that's one of your passions, and you're great at it. You make me so proud, Mally."

Nick gently stroked her hair as Mally began to calm down a little. She sometimes started to blow things way out of proportion and get herself down in the dumps

"We can work on this again tomorrow, when you've had some time to rest. Right now, you need to get to bed." He told her.

"It's 8:30!" She told him.

"Mal, you get about six hours a night nowadays, and teenagers are supposed to get nine. You're killing yourself, and it's not worth it."

Nick got up and started pulling at her arm to do the same, but she wouldn't budge.

"But I've still got other homework to do!" She started crying again. Mally finally started sobbing and broke down again, scaring the crap out of Nick. As she continued crying, Nick scooped her up, still strong, and she didn't protest. He carried her the short distance to her bed and set her down, taking off her flipflops, and guiding her to lay down.

"I'm making a decision as a parent. You're going to bed now." He told her firmly, but gently. Mally continued to sob, but quieter now. Nick pulled the covers over her. The sweats and tank top she had been wearing would be suitable as pajamas too for the night. Nick sat down on her bed and kissed her forehead. "I love you so much, Mally. Now you need to get some rest."

Nick was surprised when Mally reached over and took his hand, holding on to him tight. He could tell she was so scared and so stressed out. Nick and Sara had both been trying desperately to help her, but it just wasn't clicking. Mally's breathing finally shallowed out until she fell asleep. Nick gave her one last kiss before getting up, turning off her desk lamp, and finally turning out the light.

Finally, Nick got to go to his own bedroom where Sara was in bed reading. They got to bed early nowadays, always exhausted from work and the kids. Nick stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed with his wife. Sara could tell he was stressed about something.

"What's wrong?"

Nick ran a hand over his face, not sure where to begin.

"Mal's really stressing over school." He told her. "I just went in to help her and she basically just broke down. I made her go to bed."

"Poor girl. She's beating herself up over it. Doesn't help that Natalie's doing so well."

"No it doesn't." He took in a deep breath and let it out, and Sara put down her book, settling in to face him. She put a supportive hand on his chest and patted it gently.

"We'll deal with it tomorrow. Try not to worry too much." She told her husband. The talk about the twins could wait too. Nick reached over and cupped Sara's face in his right hand, studying her carefully, before leaning in to press a slow, loving, thorough kiss to her lips. Their mouths opened to one another, and they started kissing with more fervor and passion, desperate to wash away all the day's events and problems. Nick shifted and moved on top of Sara, settling between her legs, and they made passionate love, reaffirming their need and want for each other. Tomorrow would be another day.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys! I was so glad to get such great feedback from chapter one. I think I'll still with the title I have (it was untitled for about half an hour). Thanks to MrsEads for helping me with the title. I hope you enjoy, and please review!

It was Nick's day off of work, but his day on with the kids. Basically, the same amount of work was involved, if not more, with the twins. The little runts didn't understand the concept of sleeping in. Mally had been so far ahead of them in age that Nick had forgotten just how hard it was to have children under the age of five. They had an endless amount of energy, and the pair got into an endless amount of trouble. Sometimes, Nick felt that 'no' was the only word in his vocabulary.

Mally and Sara had already left for the day, so Nick was trying to get the twins dressed. They still weren't capable of picking their own clothes, because they always came out looking like circus clowns. Bailey would try it every day, though, and they always had to redress her.

Nick was finishing helping Aidan put his shorts on over his Spiderman underwear, when Bailey came out of the closet. She had on a blue floral skirt, a purple shirt, and a yellow striped cardigan.

"Do I wook pwetty daddy?" She asked, turning around and curtseying.

Nick finished with Aidan and walked over to his daughter, making a dramatic sigh, and then bending down to pick her up. He blew a raspberry on her tummy, sending her into peals of laughter.

"You look beautiful, darlin', but I don't think the rest of the world would quite understand."

"What?"

"You need to change." He said simply. Nick went to the closet and pulled out a pair of navy capris, white shirt, and a matching cardigan. He knew they'd be playing a lot today, and a skirt would not be suitable. Not that she cared. Nick helped her strip her clothes off again and they started over. Soon, she actually matched, and she looked adorable, as always.

Nick looked back over at Aidan, who had been quietly playing with some of his toys on the floor. It scared him how easy going his son was. He might even forget he was there, if he didn't look over every once in a while. Nick struggled to keep a balance between giving attention to both twins, and also Mally. He tried not to give Bailey so much of his time, because he was always correcting her, and she was always demanding attention. Bailey required constant supervision. Nick didn't want his son to miss out, and didn't want Mally to feel unfavored. It was so much easier with one, but now Nick's heart was extra stuffed full.

"Alright, let's get you in the car and take you to preschool." Nick announced, trying to push the kids out the bedroom door and towards the garage. They waddled out, and waited for Nick at the door.

He carefully buckled them into their booster seats, both in the back seat, away from poking distance. Finally, Nick got in himself and buckled his seatbelt.

"Is the Stokesmobile ready?" He asked of their new minivan. It about broke Nick's heart, but he'd basically become a soccer mom. He swore he'd never drive one of these pregnant things, but kids did weird things to you.

"Yes!" They both answered, and out the driveway they went.

Nick put the radio on country, set on raising them right, and listened as they tried to sing along, but it amounted to mere babbling. He stole glances in the rear view mirrors of his two youngest.

Nick thought Gil and Catherine had been exaggerating when they marveled at how different their two daughters were. But now that he had two of his own, Nick couldn't agree more. Thinking back to when Mally was this age, he couldn't find more different kids. They were both still loving little girls, but were day and night. Mally wouldn't dream of misbehaving or being smart, but that was just Bailey's personality. Bailey was much louder and outspoken than her sister, who had been innocent, curious, and sweet. Mally rarely got into trouble, but Bailey did almost daily. He loved them both dearly, of course, but couldn't get over their differences.

And his son. All men dreamed of having their own son, and Nick was thrilled to have Aidan. He showed a gentleness and consideration for others that Nick prided in. Aidan was so concerned with others, and quiet, but still so much fun. He'd already taken to sports, and Nick looked forward to teaching him to play catch with a real ball and glove like he had with Mally so many years ago.

Nick dropped the twins off at preschool, and the teacher looked less than happy to see them once again. Well, not really. Nick could tell that Bailey was a handful to her just like she was at home. Bailey ran off happily after giving her dad a kiss and a hug, but Aidan stayed next to his father, holding his hand. Nick crouched down next to him, and turned his son to face him.

"Daddy's gotta go now, okay? But I'll be back to get you in a while." He explained, looking into Aidan's eyes. They were starting to well up with tears. Some days, he was just fine, but he still had a lot of separation anxiety. Aidan started crying, and so Nick picked him up and stood.

"Hey, there, little man. It's okay. I'll only be gone a little while and then we'll go home and play in the backyard. Does that sound good?" Nick was careful not to say, 'don't cry', because Sara was very diligent about making sure he knew crying was okay for boys.

Aidan nodded his head, but rested his head on Nick's shoulder, still not wanting him to go. Nick glanced outside and saw that it was a beautiful fall afternoon, and got an idea.

"Hey, I'll tell you what. Today, when you get home from school, I'll teach you how to play real catch, like a big kid. Would you like that?"

Aidan's tears started to stop. Nick knew that telling him he would be doing 'big kid stuff' really got him going. The trick seemed to work, now that Aidan had something to look forward to.

Nick kissed his tear-stained cheek and set him on the floor, crouching down with him again.

"So, why don't you go have some fun with your friends, and I'll be back later to get you."

"Otay, daddy." He managed.

"Give me a hug."

Aidan wrapped his arms around his father's neck one last time. Nick gave him a little push, and off he went. He was glad to see that he didn't immediately go to his sister. They were independent twins, and some parents weren't so lucky. It was sweet when they did play together, but they had their own friends.

Both of his children were happily playing now, so Nick quietly scooted out the door. Most of his day was spent running errands, doing laundry, and cleaning the house. Mally always jokingly called him, 'Mr. Mom'.

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The school day was not going well for either Natalie or Mally. Natalie had been feeling down in the dumps the whole morning, more tired than usual. In fact, the last few days, she'd been feeling out of it. Mally didn't have too many good days nowadays, and today she was bummed out about a notice she got from her science teacher. She currently had a 'D' average. Mally knew her parents weren't the type to ground her for poor grades, as long as she was trying, and they knew she was. But that's what made it so frustrating for the senior. She was trying so hard, but getting nothing. Soon, she thought, she would just give up.

The two girls were sitting at a lunch table, talking about their awful days.

"I feel like taking a nap for two days!" Natalie complained. Mally wasn't really in the mood to hear it, but she humored her friend. They'd known each other practically since birth.

"It's not like that time you accidentally took a NyQuil instead of a DayQuil, is it?" Mally reminded her.

Natalie stuck her toungue out at the reminder.

"No! This is totally different. I barely feel like I can function!"

"Nat, I think you're exaggerating."

"I'm not." Natalie told her seriously. Mally had to admit she'd been complaining a lot. She wished Natalie would just shut up already. Nat was dead tired, and still she managed to ace all her classes. Was she superhuman or something?

"Yeah, well my dad made me go to bed at friggin' 8:30 last night." Mally complained, not wanting to be without pity. She was fully rested, but still not in the mood to function at all, especially at science. Why did things come so easily to Natalie? Why did she have to be so damn good at everything? Natalie was her best friend, but sometimes she resented her for being so…perfect. She knew her parents were aware of how well Natalie was doing. What did they think of their own daughter? Mally bet they wished she was smarter.

"Hey, I wouldn't be complaining. I had to stay up late with all these AP classes I'm taking." Natalie complained, but really was kind of bragging too. Sometimes Mally just wished she would shut up. Was she an awful friend for thinking that?

Finally, the bell rang, and they made their way through the herd of high schoolers, trying to get to their next class.

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Nick unloaded the twins from the van once more and they darted for the garage door. Neither was strong enough to open the heavy door yet, so they spent the time it took Nick to come help them unsuccessfully twist the knob and push at the stiff door. Nick chuckled and gently shooed their hands away, opening the door with ease. The first thing up was lunch, and then a nap. It was the same schedule he had used with Mally when she was young, and it continued to work well, though Bailey argued a lot more about nap time. The twins played while Nick prepared lunch, cut up into small pieces for their tiny throats. They happily ate it up, but always took their time because they knew what was next.

Nick came back from the bathroom to tell the twins it was time for a nap. He found that Aidan had worn himself out and had actually fallen asleep at his chair, his tiny body draped over his plate. Nick thought it was adorable, to say the least. Bailey was still popping hot dog into her mouth, staring strangely at her brother.

"Daddy, why's he always so tired?" She asked her father rather loudly.

Nick put a finger to his lips and shooshed his daughter.

"Let's let him sleep." He told her. As carefully as he could, Nick scooped up his son, flicking a stray hot dog bit from his face, and carried him to his bed, tucking him in and kissing his forehead. One down, the hardest one to go.

When he came back, Bailey wasn't in her seat and had instead turned on the television. Nick sighed and went over to the TV, switching it off.

"Bailey, what are the rules about lunchtime and any meal?" He put a hand on his hip. Nick was all about regiment and keeping things orderly, within reason. His parents had taught him to be well-mannered and always follow parents' directions, and he expected his children to be the same way.

"I don' know." She lied, biting her lip.

"Yes you do." He crooned back. "What do we do when we're finished?"

"Ass to be escyoosed." She mispronounced. Nick resisted the urge to laugh.

"That's right. Did you ask to be excused?"

"No." She played with her feet and fidgeted around.

"Next time, you wait for daddy. And no TV after lunch." With that, Nick bent down and picked Bailey up, carrying her to her bedroom also. When they reached the door, Nick reminded her to be quiet because her brother was already sleeping. She promised to be good, but that had happened before with less than favorable outcomes.

Nick gently laid her down and tucked her in.

"Daddy, sing to me." She whispered.

"Not right now, sweet pea. Aidan's sleeping."

"Pwease?"

"No, Bailey. I'll stay with you until you fall asleep, but we have to be quiet."

Bailey decided that would do for today. When Mally was little, Nick would always let her lay on his chest until she fell asleep, but with two toddlers, it didn't quite work. There wasn't enough room, and one would get jealous of the other. Bailey liked to have her belly rubbed like a little puppy. It seemed to calm her down. Nick gently patted and rubbed her slightly protruding toddler tummy for a few minutes, hearing her breathing shallow out. Finally, she closed her eyes and she was out.

At about 3:15, Mally arrived home, and Nick could tell she wasn't happy. The last couple of weeks had been like this, and he was desperate to help her, but things just weren't working. She tossed her bag on the counter and angrily unzipped it.

"Something wrong, baby?" He asked her, placing some plates in the drying rack in the sink. The twins were watching Bananas in Pajamas and were behaving for now.

"Here, this is for you." She was on the verge of tears. Nick studied her face as she handed him a slip of paper. Whatever it was, he could tell she was disappointed in herself and no lecture of his would help. He opened it up and saw the note of her science teacher. Mally was currently receiving a 66 percent. D's were never acceptable, but reminding her would do no good.

"Well, that's too bad." He said. "But we're gonna work on it remember?"

"What's the point? I keep trying, and it makes no difference!" She cried, getting upset that he was being dismissive. Mally almost wanted him to yell at her and ground her. Maybe that's what she needed. But Nick knew this wasn't at all what she needed. Right now, she just needed his arms.

Nick walked around the bar and quickly brought her into a hug, rocking her back and forth.

"Don't you worry, Mal. You'll get it." He reassured her. "Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or even this week, but you'll get it. I know you will."

"How do you know?" She sobbed into his shirt.

"Because I know you. You won't give up without a fight. And I know science. It doesn't lie or change. Once you get it, you'll always have it and it will just click."

His words seemed to help a little bit, and her crying died down. Nick suddenly remembered what he'd promised his son earlier, and thought it would be great for Mally to join in helping her siblings to play catch. It was a hobby they'd enjoyed together since she was four. (A/N: check out Single Daddy ch 1 – hint hint)

"How about we go play some catch?" He pulled away. "I was thinking about teaching Aidan and Bailey to play today."

After a few moments, she agreed, and they got all their baseball stuff. Nick helped get the twins into position, not far from him, and Mally stood about ten feet to his right.

"You both stay right there, and Mally and I will tell you what to do."

They both their sunglasses on, looking overly cute. Bailey wore Barbie glasses, and Aidan wore Spiderman. They both nodded.

"Okay, I'm gonna throw the ball to Mally, and you watch how she catches is, okay?"

Nick threw the ball gently to the teenager, and she modeled the perfect catch. They didn't use gloves today, just a light wiffleball.

"Good, Mally." He praised her like she was four again. "Now I'm going to throw it to Aidan, and you'll try to catch it just like Mally. You ready?"

"Yes." He answered. Bailey was digging her toe into the ground, bored. She was totally not into sports. Mally sailed the ball to her brother. It bounced in his hands a little, but he dropped it.

"Good try, Aidan!" Nick praised him, clapping his hands. "Now throw it back to me."

Aidan tried to hurl it as hard as he could, and it made it to Nick's feet. He picked it up and praised the boy again.

"Bailey, are you ready?" He asked his daughter. Bailey held out her hands in front of her body, palms up, and looking away so she wouldn't get up. Nick couldn't help but have flashbacks to teaching Mally. She'd taken almost the exactly same stance. Girls were so cute. Nick walked over to her and squatted down, adjusting her hands to the right stance. "Keep them just like that."

Nick walked back and asked Bailey if she was ready first. He floated the ball to her, and the kid actually caught it on the first try.

"I caught it! I caught! Haha! My first time, too!"

Mally had been silent the whole time. She didn't know why, but this was bothering her. Baseball had always been she and her father's little oasis, and now all of a sudden he was bringing them into it. This was supposed to be their alone time. No one else ever played catch with them. When she saw her father gently explaining it to the twins, and then how he readjusted Bailey's hands just like he had with her, it sent Mally over the edge. She threw down her glove and stormed into the house in tears. This was just too much after the day she'd had. No one had time for her anymore. They were all busy with school, or work, or the twins.

"Mally!" Nick called after her.

"Daddy, what's wrong with Mawwy?" Aidan asked, always concerned about others' feelings. He looked a little teary eyed himself. Displays of emotion upset him easily, especially when it was from someone he looked up to so much and was always calm and patient with him.

"I don't know, bud." Nick stared at the door where she had stormed through, wondering himself. The poor girl was having such a rough time.

"Guys, why don't you play on the swingset a bit, and be careful. I'm gonna go see why Mally's upset."

The twins obeyed, both of them, for once. Nick walked into the house and ran up the stairs to find a closed door.

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks again for reviews! They make me write so much faster! You guys rock! Please keep reviewing…

Sobs and tears flowing was all he could hear from outside her locked door. He turned the knob again and again, and knocked gently, calling her name, but she just kept on crying.

"Mally, come on. Open up. Let's talk about it." He encouraged her, but he was getting a little irritated after a few minutes. Sometimes Mally could be so stubborn.

"Mal. It's dad. Open up."

"Just go!" She finally yelled across the room. Mally was curled up on her bed with her favorite teddy bear. She'd been willing her father to just go away, but he kept relenting. Mally knew he'd never leave her in tears.

"I'm not leaving, Mal, until you open this door."

"Go play catch with them, dad! They really like it!"

Nick let out an unbelievable sigh, shocked that she had actually taken their little game to heart. He knew it had always been their thing, but there were two new kids in the house now. They deserved time with him just like she did.

"Is that what this is about? You're jealous of three year olds?"

Silence on the other side of the door, and then angry steps. Mally angrily unlocked the door and stormed back to her bed. Nick took a deep breath before opening the door. Seeing her curled up in the fetal position crying on her bed broke his heart, so he pulled up her desk chair to the side of her bed.

Instead of talking to him herself up front, Mally had a tendency to misbehave when she was really upset. Her outburst in the backyard and just now told Nick that she wasn't happy, and it was his job to figure out why. It was always more than the immediate problem. She didn't like sharing him. Yes, she was jealous of three year olds.

"Mal, you were an only child for fourteen years, and I know it's hard to let Bailey and Aidan into your routines, but they're a part of this family now as much as you are. They want to spend time with me too."

"They don't have to play catch." She spat out angrily, still facing away from him. Nick reached out his hand and rubbed her shoulder gently.

"They can't play baseball, because you do?" Nick reasoned with her, trying to make her realize how unfair she was being.

"They can play, just not with you and me." Mally told him. Nobody touched her time with her dad, not even her siblings. She wasn't ashamed to admit she was a daddy's girl. Mally had to be, because that was all she had growing up. She treasured her time with Nick.

"I know that was a little abrupt, asking them to join, but I thought it would cheer you up to help teach them. Obviously, I was wrong." He was trying to guilt-trip her and she knew it.

"Well, I'd rather not." She told him bluntly. Mally wasn't in the mood to feel guilty and was dead set on not getting it from her father.

"Okay, suit yourself." He said, getting up. Nick leaned down and kissed her cheek, giving her shoulder a pat. "I'll be outside cheering up Aidan. We'll call you down for dinner."

Nick left the room, hoping he had gotten through to her. She hated to be guilt-tripped, but it always worked like a charm. Nick was counting on the fact that he'd raised her right, and would come back to play with her siblings.

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About half an hour later, Nick started dinner. He decided to make some sort of casserole, throwing together a bunch of noodles, sauces, and ground beef. Mally was still up in her room when Sara walked in the door. The twins were still outside happily playing. Aidan seemed to have gotten over his shock of Mally running off. He was sensitive, but pretty resilient.

"Hey, baby." Nick greeted her, stirring the ground beef in a saucepan. Sara sighed and put down her workbag, walking over to Nick and giving him a kiss. "How was your day?"

"Uhhh!" She sighed as she took a seat on a stool. It had been long and hard to say the least. "Double homicide, rape, and a missing woman. I am so glad to be home." Sara admitted. Her job made her love her family that much more, because they were her escape. "How are the spawn?"

"The twins are great. They're outside." He threw a towel over his shoulder as he started chopping up vegetables for salad. "Mal's not doing too well again." Nick sadly reported.

"What happened this time?"

"Well, first she brought home a note from a science teacher, saying she was getting a D."

"She has a D now? Are you going to ground her?"

"No, no, no. That wouldn't help at all. The poor girl's trying, that's all I can ask.

"But how can she try and still be getting a D?" Sara wondered, popping a piece of carrot in her mouth.

"Well, not everyone's Harvard material like you, Mrs. Stokes."

"Is that what you think of me?" A voice from the corner suddenly yelled. Nick and Sara both twisted to see Mally standing in the doorway, her arms crossed, and tears in her eyes. She'd come down to go play with the twins, and had stumbled upon her parents' conversation. "You think I'm dumb, dad?"

Nick looked shock and apologetic, knowing what he said didn't come out right.

"Mal, that's not what I meant." Nick wiped his hands on the towel and made his way closer to his daughter, who looked pretty pissed.

"Then what did you mean?"

"Hardly anyone is great at everything, Mal. You're worrying too much about school."

"Then why don't you go adopt Natalie? She's perfect! Or better yet, just ignore me totally and focus on bringing up Aidan and Bailey right. All the mistakes you made with me, you won't have to make with them! And their mother went to Harvard, maybe they'll fulfill your dream!"

"Mally, go to your room." Nick told her calmly, nodding towards the stairs. He was having so many doubts right now about whether he was spending enough time with each kid, and he was about to snap at this accusation. He felt horrible that Mally felt this way, but she needed to stop and calm down.

Mally pushed her father in the chest hard and started to run away, but Nick grabbed her wrist, spinning her around. She tried to break free, sobbing now, but he kept a firm grip on her, taking possession of her other wrist also. Nick used all his strength to pull her to his chest and envelop her in a hug. Mally finally gave in and started crying almost uncontrollably. She'd never gotten physical with him before, and it scared him bad. It seemed she'd lost all control of her emotions as she continued bawling. Sara got up and went outside to leave the two alone.

Nick quietly walked her over to the couch and sat down with her. He was surprised when she crawled into his lap like she did as a little kid, clinging to him. She was so scared, and he didn't know what was wrong. He just rubbed her back silently until she'd finally calmed down.

"Mal? Baby?" He gently called her when she was almost silent. "We're gonna get you an appointment to go see a doctor, okay? And we'll see what's going on. I've never seen you like this."

Mally didn't say anything, keeping her face buried in her father's neck.

"Are you feeling anxious a lot?" Nick asked her soothingly.

Mally nodded into his neck. Nick turned his head and kissed her forehead.

"Well, they have medications for that sort a thing that might help us out. What do you say?"

"Okay." She whispered, her voice laden in frustration and exhaustion.

"Okay." Nick finally felt like they had taken a step. "I'll call tomorrow morning. Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Then why don't you go lie down for a while." Nick suggested, seeing that she wouldn't be getting any work done after her meltdown. Nick carefully lifted her face from his shoulder, studying her face briefly. She looked defeated and lost, unlike anything he'd ever seen in her before. He helped her stand up, putting his hand on her back to steady her.

"Are you okay to walk up?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. You sleep as long as you need."

Nick watched her climb up the stairs until she'd disappeared into her room again, closing the door gently. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. How had it gotten so bad and how'd he not see that coming? Nick prided himself on being close with his children, so it killed him that Mally had gotten so upset. He made his way outside to join Sara and the twins. She was pushing both on the swings and gave Nick a smile.

Nick walked around the swingset to the back with Sara, after getting a "Hi, Daddy!" from both twins. He kissed his wife tenderly and put an arm around her waist.

"She's sleeping now in her room." He said quietly, so the twins wouldn't worry. Nick started pushing Aidan, and Sara concentrated on Bailey's ride.

"Is she okay?"

"No, I don't think she is." He said honestly. "I'm getting her an appointment with the doctor tomorrow. Maybe she needs to be medicated."

"You think she's depressed?"

"I don't know, maybe. Or just really anxious."

"I think that's a good idea." Sara admitted, looking at her husband seriously. She didn't know Mally like he did, but she had definitely seen a change in her personality in the last month or so. School had always been important to her, and she was beating herself up about chemistry. She just didn't get it at all. It was the first time in her life she completely didn't understand anything.

The two parents continued to push their children for another ten minutes or so, and then Nick went back inside to finish the dinner, his mind still on Mally.

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At lunch the next day, Mally and Natalie were again having less-than-superb days. Natalie was exhausted once again, and actually put her head down on the table. Mally ended up never waking up from her nap, and slept through the night. She was fully awake, to say the least.

"Natalie, I think you need to go to the nurse. You can't work like this." Mally told her friend, echoing her father.

"I have a big test sixth period." She said from the table. Natalie was so driven, but almost too much so.

"But seriously, Nat. You're practically asleep. You should go home."

"You can't just go home because you're tired." She picked her head up and stared back at her friend.

"Well, you've been tired for over a week now, even after the weekend when you can sleep in. Maybe it's something more."

"I don't think so. I'm fine." She told her friend. Just then, the bell rang for the next period to start.

"Think about it. I think you should go." Mally urged.

"Whatever."

The two friends went their separate ways to face the rest of the day.

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The telephone rang in Gil Grissom's office. Catherine was out in the field with Nick and Sara. They'd both decided to pull overtime and work into the day. Both figured they could sleep when they died.

"Grissom." He answered.

"Yes, this is Mrs. Rawlings at Las Vegas High School. I have Natalie Grissom in here."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes. She's resting now, but she fell asleep in her AP U.S. History class, and her teacher sent her down. He said she's been really exhausted the last week or so."

"Does she want to come home?"

"That's where I need your help. She doesn't want to go, but I'm recommending she does, and also get tested for mono."

"Mono?"

"She's showing all the symptoms. Natalie's just exhausted, and it's been going on for about a week already. She's running herself into the ground."

"Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Rawlings. I'll be in to get her."

Gil hung up the phone and sighed. Natalie had the same drive as he did. No one could tell him to stop or to rest, and he really wished his daughter hadn't picked it up too. She was so stubborn in that manner. He wasn't looking forward to the battle to get her home, but that was his job as a parent. This wasn't good for her health. Gil called Catherine to let her know what was going on and drove to Natalie's school. He quickly found the nurse's office, which he had never been to before. Natalie was one to stick things out, and had only gone home from school sick once or twice in her life.

As he entered the office, Mrs. Rawlings greeted him and lead him to one of the side rooms. As she opened the door to the darkened room, his eyes fell on a sleeping Natalie, out like a light, a blanket covering her form.

"I'll let you wake her." The nurse told him, and Gil thanked her. He briefly considered trying to carry her out to the car without waking her, but decided against it. She would probably wake up and though she was tiny, she was still heavy for the aging father. He knelt down next to the cot and placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking Natalie gently.

"Nat?" He whispered. "Natalie, it's dad. Wake up."

After a few moments, she stirred, opening her eyes.

"Daddy?" She croaked. She'd actually been sleeping deeply for once and had been totally out. Then she remembered where she was, and got angry and argumentative again.

"Daddy, tell Mrs. Rawlings I need to go back to class." She yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Don't be ridiculous." Gil told her firmly. "You're coming home."  
"No, I'm not!" She was getting defensive. "I'm fine!"

"Nat, she thinks you may have mono."

"I know! She's crazy!"

"Watch your tone, Natalie." Gil warned her.

"I'm not going home." She declared, crossing her arms. "I'm going to chemistry class."

Gil paused, wondering how to continue.

"I'll give you a choice. You can walk out of here with me and go home and go to bed, or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you out in front of everybody. Your decision."

Natalie glared at her father. He wouldn't dare, but then again he was weird. She glared at him for a few more moments, and he just stared back, not backing down. Finally, she angrily stood up and slung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Fine! Take me home, but I'm working."

Gil would deal with the sleeping part later. At least he was getting her out of the school now. She stormed out ahead of him, and he followed closely behind.

The car ride was silent, and when they got home, Natalie stormed up to her room with her backpack. Gil decided to give her a few minutes before he went upstairs and made her go to bed.

About ten minutes later, he entered her room to find her asleep at her desk. So stubborn. This time, he did decide to pick her up, and she awoke when she hit the mattress.

"Dad, what are you doing?" She spat out angrily.

"Tucking you in. You need to sleep."

"No, I need to work!"

"You fell asleep at your desk."

"I did?"

"Yes. Go to sleep."

Natalie turned over angrily and pulled her covers up tight.

"If I don't get into Stanford, it's your fault." She muttered.

Gil decided not to say anything. She was crabby and irritable, and he knew she didn't mean it. He shut off the lights and left the exhausted teen to sleep.

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"Yes, this is Nick Stokes, and I need to set up an appointment with Dr. Lockwin, for my daughter."

He listened to the receptionist type on her keyboard.

"Yes, Mally Elyse Stokes, age seventeen. As soon as possible."

He paused as he listened to her ask routine questions.

"The reason?" He ran a hand through his hair, not believing it had come to this. "Possible depression and anxiety."

"Tomorrow would be great." He told the receptionist. "Thanks."

Nick switched off his cell phone as he sat in the CSI locker room. He was going to get Mally some help. She was going to be okay.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews – feed the junkie you've made me. Please enjoy.

"Just tell him the truth." Nick urged his daughter as they sat in the doctor's office. Mally was thankful that she didn't have to change into one of those paper gowns this time. Her appointment was about what was going on in her head, not something physical, though it seemed to affect her greatly physically also. She was actually getting out of chemistry class today to go to the doctor with her father. Since it was his day off work, he had the twins with him also. Bailey was sitting backwards on his lap, holding his hands, as she leaned back, letting the blood rush to her head. Aidan was playing quietly on the floor.

"Bailey, sit up, baby. You're going to get a headache."

"I don' care!" She told him, giggling. As a three year old, she was just discovering some of the new, exciting sensations of the world, like blood rushing to her head. The world was an enthralling place to Bailey.

Nick pulled on her arms and grabbed her by the armpits, bringing him to sit forwards on his lap. The girl didn't like the idea, and quickly hopped off his lap to play with her brother. She wasn't cuddly like Mally was; just one of their differences. The twins played on the floor with some sort of twisted wire contraption with beads that would travel along. Nick didn't see the point, but it seemed to entertain them, so he was happy.

The doctor walked in and his eyes quickly went to the pair on the floor.

"Hello, there! Brought the whole family?" He remarked as he took a seat on his swivel chair.

"Pretty much." Nick told him as he shook his hand. "My wife works today, so I have the bunch."

"Mally Stokes?" He looked at his paper, seeing the notes the nurse had made and Nick's concerns on the phone. "How's it going?" He asked her, straight up.

"Not so great." She said honestly, sitting on her hands and twisting her mouth to the side a little. Mally just wanted this over with; she was very uncomfortable.

"Can you tell me what you're feeling?" He fished a pen out of his pocket, prepared to take notes.

"Well, I've been having a lot of trouble in school…well, chemistry really. I've been really frustrated and getting myself down."

"So, a lot of stress at school." He clarified.

"Yes."

"Would you say you're depressed?"

Mally sighed and looked at her dad, who looked back at her in reassurance. She wanted him to give her the answer, but he didn't know. Only Mally knew how she felt. Realizing he was going to make her say it, she cleared her throat and turned back to the doctor.

"Yeah." She said quietly. It was harder than she thought to admit it.

"Okay. And anything else you think may contribute to it?"

Mally was afraid her dad would be mad at her if she said things about her siblings and Sara, but he'd always taught her to be honest.

"Well, there's been a lot of big changes recently. My dad got remarried and I have a new brother and sister. And I have to share things more."

"Yes, I can see that." The doctor chuckled, glancing down at the twins still playing nicely at his feet.

"Change can make us uncomfortable and anxious." He told her, scribbling down some more notes. "Well, I'm going to start you on 20 milligrams of Lexapro to start off. It will take a while to get in your system, so you probably won't see any changes for at least a month."  
"A month?" Mally asked, perplexed. She couldn't keep feeling like this for another month.

"Yes, that's just the way our bodies work. Until then, you might want to try exercising more. It releases a lot of the same chemicals that make us feel happy. Do you like any sports?"

"I like to play softball." She said.

"Play lots of that." He told her, scribbling her prescription on a piece of paper. The doctor ripped the page off and handed it to Nick. "Any questions?"

"If she doesn't improve?" Nick asked.

"Let's see you back in a month and a half to see how you're doing. We can always up the dosage."

"Thank you, doctor." Nick shook his hand again, and then gently stroked Mally's back as he left. "Okay? We'll try this and see how it goes." He kissed her temple, but she looked disappointed and overwhelmed again. Nick didn't realize it would take that long for the medication to work itself into her system, and could tell Mally was disappointed. She wanted help so bad, and a month seemed like such a long time.

"We'll talk more later, okay?" He got up and reached down, picking up Aidan. "How about we all go get some ice cream?" He suggested, looking at Aidan. His eyes immediately lit up and he clapped, grinning at his daddy.

"Yay!" The twins cheered, but Mally just quietly got up, walking mopily. Bailey took her hand and they made their way to the receptionist, and then the van.

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After Catherine took Natalie to the doctor, she took her straight home again, because she had tested positive for mono. Natalie was crushed, because she knew that meant she'd be exhausted for a good while still. This would affect her schoolwork, and in turn, her chances at getting into Stanford. She was absolutely down, to say the least, crying on the way home.

Catherine walked her up the stairs to her room, not saying anything. She knew there was no consoling her. Natalie had Grissom's drive. She could never get either of them to rest when they set their minds to something. Catherine opened her bedroom door and led her to lie down on her bed.

Natalie kicked off her shoes and got in without protesting. She was crushed, and now she just wanted to sleep her disappointment away. Catherine sat on the edge of her bed and stroked her hair away from her face.

"I know you're upset right now, and you're worried about Stanford." She said gently, not wanting to upset her more, "But I think you're getting ahead of yourself. You're thinking of the worst. We'll talk to your school, and talk about doing some half days. Does that sound okay?"

Natalie nodded, her eyes still welled up with tears. She was glad she had her mom here at a time like this. She needed to be taken care of.

"Okay. Don't worry, Natalie, and you get a good rest." She kissed Natalie's forehead and then pinched her nose a little to lighten up the situation, then left the room.

For the next few minutes, Natalie just cried until she was asleep.

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The four Stokeses sat outside of Dairy Queen at a picnic bench. Nick was on one side with the twins on either side, and Mally sat on the other with her sunglasses on, poking at her hot fudge sundae.

"Sweetheart, you're getting more on your face than in your mouth." Nick told Bailey, as he took a wet wipe to her face. She wanted just a plain ice cream cone, and they made the cones so damn big, that it was melting before she could eat it. Aidan had a Dilly Bar, with chocolate all over his face and hands. Nick cleaned his son up also, who dug straight back in.

Nick snacked at his dipped cone, now that he'd taken care of the twins. He couldn't help but notice Mally's mood. She was disappointed to say the least with what the doctor told her. A whole other month of this crap to go.

"You okay, Mal?"

"Mmmmm." She answered, staring at her dessert. It was almost five o'clock in the afternoon. They shouldn't be having ice cream right now. He was just trying to make her feel better, but she knew Sara would be mad at filling up the twins before dinner.

"Are you disappointed?"

"Yeah, a little. A whole nother month?" She complained.

"I know, I was a little shocked by that, but that's the way it goes."

Mally nodded, but still didn't feel any better. She knew her dad prided himself in being able to protect her and keep her happy, but this was something he couldn't really fix.

"You know, we could play catch more. I know you've been missing that." Nick suggested, recalling how upset she was two days ago when the twins had joined their sacred game.

"Okay." She said simply. Truthfully, she would love this. Nick had been so busy lately, that they never had a chance to play.

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Warning – this section contains a brief spanking scene and reference to child abuse – don't read if this bothers you

At about 5:30, Nick and the kids arrived at home to find Sara there already. She had started dinner already, seeing that they weren't home, which she wasn't too happy about. Sara decided to cook spaghetti again, because it was easy, and she was hungry, and not in the mood to wait for Nick to cook. She'd had another bad day, with a case involving child abuse, which were always the hardest for her. Sara had been abused as a child by her father, something that was still all too vivid in her mind at times. Right now, she was angrily putting dinner together, some of her childhood memories bothering at her and tearing her down.

The garage door opened, and in ran the twins, more hyper than usual.

"Momma!" They both yelled, and ran to her, clinging her legs. Sara reached down and stroked their heads a little bit, but didn't pick them up like she normally did. Nick walked in and could immediately tell she was upset. Not good timing with the kids being high from sugar.

"Momma, daddy took us out for ice cweam!" Bailey told her excitedly.

"I can tell." She commented, not smiling, and shooting Nick a glare. Nick dreaded when she was in these moods. He could never hate her for feeling what she did because she couldn't control what happened to her as a child, but she was always so stand-offish in these moods. Though he was patient and caring, Sara would rarely open up to him and talk, just wanting to be left alone to deal with it.

Mally crashed on the couch, putting her feet up with her shoes still on.

"Mally, please don't put your feet up there with your shoes on." Sara told her firmly. Mally glared at Sara, her mother not understanding her mood, and crossly kicked off her shoes, putting a hand to her head.

Bailey and Aidan were jumping up and down and running around the kitchen bar, irritating Sara as she stirred the spaghetti.

"Daddy! Daddy, catch me!" Bailey begged him as she sped around.

"Guys, you need to calm down. Momma's had a rough day." Nick stood by his wife and gentry stroked her lower back, giving her loving kisses to the temple.

"What? I can't be in a bad mood? Automatically, if I look pissed, I've had a bad day at work?" She snapped. Mally really didn't like Sara talking to her dad this way, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Baby, you know I didn't mean it like that. It's just that's what it usually is." He continued to stroke the small of her back. The kids were still running around, trying to catch each other, occasionally knocking into their parents.

"Bailey, Aidan, why don't you go play on the floor for a minute?" Nick suggested.

"No!" Bailey told him, and Aidan giggled at the fun he was having.

"Bailey, you don't tell daddy no." Nick told his daughter firmly, turning to her and putting a hand on his hip.

"Wa's for dinner?" She asked.

"Spaghetti." Nick told her.

"Again?" She complained. Bailey crossed her arms and pouted, and Aidan went to go play with his toys on the floor, now that Bailey had stopped. He was happy doing about anything.

Bailey noisily stomped her way to the refrigerator and opened it, struggling a bit at the door's weight. She picked out a Jello container.

"Dinner." She told her father, holding it up.

"Bailey, that's not a good dinner. It's not nutritious."

"Wan' Jewwo!" She yelled.

"Bailey, don't shout." He told her, getting irritated. Nick really wished he hadn't fed her ice cream now.

"Well, you shouldn't have fed her ice cream right before dinner, Nick." Sara told him, with irritation lacing her voice as she stirred the spaghetti vigorously.

"Wan' Jewwo!" She screamed again, a little louder, and she stomped her feet.

"We're having spaghetti, Bailey. That's final." Nick said strictly.

"No!" Bailey threw the Jello container on the floor, causing it to splatter on the floor. Then she stormed over to Sara and pushed her upper legs. Nick was a patient man, but Bailey had gone too far, even for him

Nick grabbed her arm and turned her, giving her three firm swats to the bottom. Bailey started wailing, confused as to why her father had just hit her on the bottom. Nick had never resorted to spanking either of the twins yet, but he wasn't going to tolerate Bailey's behavior. He picked her up and stepped over the Jello, about to take her to her room.

Maybe it was the stress of the day, the flashback to her childhood, or all the yelling and running around that had just gone on, but Sara snapped emotionally. When she saw Nick spank her daughter, she immediately went on the defense. They hadn't talked about this yet in their relationship, because it had never come up, and Sara decided right then she didn't like it.

"Give me my baby!" She screamed, tears running down her cheeks. Nick stopped dead in his tracks, Bailey crying on his hip. He turned around to see her storming towards him, hurt in her eyes.

"Give her to me!" She repeated. Bailey was confused beyond words and scared to see her mother so upset. Nick didn't know what to do, but he just let Sara take Bailey from his arms. Sara cradled her daughter and took her up to the twins' room, sobbing all the way. Nick just stood there, shocked, and Mally looked dumbfounded on the couch. Aidan was crying on the floor.

Nick's attention immediately went to his crying son on the floor. He quickly went over to him and scooped Aidan up, sitting on the couch next to Mally. She looked like she was about to cry also. Nick held Aidan on his lap, and put his arm around Mally, kissing the top of her head.

"Daddy, what just happened?" Mally cried, afraid of Sara for the first time.

"I don't know, baby." Nick said honestly. "Let's just wait a minute until Sara calms down."

Nick held his two crying children on the couch, more confused and afraid than he had felt in a long time. He'd never seen Sara lose it like that.

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In the twins' room, Sara was cradling Bailey on her bed, sitting at the head. Bailey was starting to calm down as Sara rocked her back and forth, quietly shushing her, trying to control her own emotions at the same time. Sara could feel her body shaking and her heart was racing, threatening to jump out of her chest.

"It's okay, Bailey. Daddy didn't mean it. He didn't." She repeated several times. Sara decided a long time ago that you never hit a child. Ever. Her own experiences with child abuse left her convinced that any sort of physically punishment was inherently wrong. She knew that Nick had spanked Mally as a child, but didn't think the twins' behavior had ever gotten bad enough to warrant such a punishment. Now that she thought about it, Mally was a really good kid as a young child, and still he resorted to this type of discipline. Why hadn't she and Nick thought of talking about this before?

All she could think about when she saw Nick punishing Bailey was her own father, standing over her and striking her repeatedly. Plus, he used a belt sometimes. Sara knew Nick would never dream of resorting to such a thing, but it was the same idea. He struck Bailey. It scared the crap out of Sara to see Nick like that, thinking that he was somehow remotely like her father, a man she despised and feared. Sara closed her eyes and tried to drown out the memories of her childhood.

Sara knew it wasn't fair in her mind to snap like that, but she couldn't help it at that moment. A combination of things working together caused her meltdown, and she was beside herself. Bailey was probably so scared and confused, and Nick was probably puzzled. She hugged Bailey a little harder, and kissed her on the head.

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About half an hour later, Nick was just getting up off the couch.

"Mally, will you take Aidan back to my room and put him down for a few minutes?" Nick asked his daughter. He'd since turned off the boiling water, and no one was in the mood for dinner anyway.

"Sure." Mally said, picking up her tired little brother and following her father up the stairs. She was counting on him to know what to do, but Nick truthfully didn't know what to do either. As he reached the twins' room, he kissed his two children as they went past him to the master bedroom. He waited until the door was closed again to open up the twins' door.

As he walked in, he found Sara kneeling at his daughter's bed, watching their daughter sleep soundly. She looked so scared and worried, sitting there watching over her child. Nick couldn't be angry with her for wanting to protect her child. He knew her childhood had been spattered with physical abuse, and spanking Bailey probably brought back bad memories. Nick cleared his throat a little as he came in, but Sara had heard him enter.

"I would always hide in my closet." Sara said. "When my dad came home drunk."

Nick walked over to her and kneeled down next to her, stealing glances between her and their daughter.

"What did he do?" He probed gently. Sara rarely talked about the abuse from her childhood, but could sense she wanted to now.; to explain why she did what she did.

Sara started crying and put a hand over her eyes. Nick shifted to sit by Bailey's bed and pulled his wife down to his lap. She started crying more as Nick held her, stroking hair away from her eyes.

"It's okay. You can tell me." He encouraged her.

"He would…he would always find something small I did wrong. Like not putting my shoes away, or leaving out one toy or something. He'd come home, and…the whole house would know. He didn't beat my brother, because he fought back. I was an easy target. He'd drag me out of the closet, and just…I kept praying for him to stop, but he wouldn't."

Nick kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

"Sometimes, he'd just use his hand, but other times, he'd use the belt. I'd get huge welts."

Nick's heart broke as she told him of her experiences. He knew vaguely about it, but never had she gone into so much detail. Nick pictured a frightened little Sara, begging for her father to stop, but finding no mercy. No wonder she'd snapped.

"Sara, you know I could never do that to our children." Nick whispered.

"I know…it just, bought back so much pain. I wish you hadn't."

"Well, we need to talk about this. When you're head's cleared and when you've calmed down. I did it because she was out of control, she threw something, and then she pushed you. She was screaming for what she wanted, and it needed to stop."

"Why not a time out?"

"I don't find that to be very effective when they're that out of control." Nick told her honestly. "I needed to get her attention."

Sara could see where Nick was coming from, but she still didn't like it.

"You hit her to tell her that pushing me wasn't okay?"

Nick sighed a little. "That wasn't the only thing she did. She was carrying on, and arguing with me, and throwing a fit. I don't want her growing up trying to pull stuff like that all the time."

Sara looked into Nick's eyes and saw so much love for her and their children. She knew Nick didn't enjoy punishing Bailey, and that her behavior needed to stop. But she was exhausted, and this would wait for another time.

Sara leaned over and captured her lips with Nick's. Nick kissed her back slowly and sensually, trying to show Sara how tenderly he loved her; how he would never want to hurt her. They kissed for about a minute or so, and then Sara rested her head on Nick's shoulder.

"Take me to bed, Nick." She told him.

Nick carefully adjusted them and stood up, taking her with him. They walked hand in hand out of the room, leaving the toddler to snooze. Sara apologized to Mally and took her son, holding him in her arms and assuring him everything was okay. Nick tucked Mally in, and Sara did the same with Aidan. Finally, they joined each other in their bed. They lay in a spooning position, Nick clasping her hands firmly enclosed in his, and kissed her shoulder. Exhausted, they both fell asleep in each other's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hola! Glad you liked the last chapter – wasn't sure what the response was going to be, so thanks for all your awesome reviews! If you read "Because of You", I have decided to continue and add more…steaminess. Stay tuned.

One of my reviewers asked about the doctor's diagnosis of Mally and asking if he should be asking if she's depressed. Thanks for your suggestion! You must have a much better doctor than I did – he asked me if I was depressed when I went in for the same reason, but then again, I'm an "adult" (yeah, right!), or so they say, so maybe it's different for kids. You'll see at the end of this chapter what Nick and Sara decide. Thanks for reviewing – I know you don't hate my story. : )

Nick and Sara woke up in each other's arms the next morning, Nick still behind his wife. Gentle kissing and caressing turned into a tender love-making session as they re-affirmed their need for each other. They made love again in the shower, a little more passionately and roughly this time, recharging each other for the day. Nick was to go into work today, and Sara would stay home. But it was finally Friday, and they would both get to recuperate tomorrow together with their family.

Since they had fallen asleep so early, the whole family got up rather early. Sara decided to give the twins the bath they didn't get last night in the morning, something they both protested, seeing as it was not the normal routine. Nick and Sara tried to keep as consistent a schedule with the twins as possible, but sometimes life got in the way. Nick dropped Mally off at school on his way to work, still looking down.

"You alright sweetheart?" Nick asked his daughter as he pulled up to the front door of Las Vegas High School, stealing a glance at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She muttered, both knowing she was lying. It was her typical teen answer when she didn't want to talk about it.

"You sure?" He asked her again, giving her a parental look. Mally glared at him, as if to say, 'You know it's something, but drop it'. "If it's about last night, don't worry. Parents disagree sometimes, and we're going to talk about it."

"What? Like you did in the shower this morning?" She called him on it. "There are other people in this house who wake up early and have ears, you know!" Mally was mortified to hear them and had done her best to cover her ears. A few years ago, Mally had walked in on them getting physical, but not actually having sex, which had put a strain on her relationship with both adults. Nick had thought he and Sara had been especially careful since then, but they really needed to show how much they loved each other this morning. But that wasn't a good excuse for the grossed-out seventeen year old.

"Sorry." He apologized, not knowing what to say. "We…uh…yeah, I'm really sorry about that. We'll be more careful."

"Whatever." Mally reached for the door handle, hearing her father call that he loved her, before she slammed the door shut.

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Sara had laid out clothes for the twins on their beds this morning, hoping to get them a little more independent. She'd see in a minute how well they did when they came out. Sara walked out to the kitchen and went to the fridge to get the twins' breakfast, when she saw the mess of Jello on the floor from last night. Nick had been in too much of a rush this morning to clean it up, so Sara sighed and got a wet cloth. She replayed the incidents from last night in her head; how she'd been so upset when Nick spanked Mally; how she'd rushed away with her daughter; how understanding and caring Nick had been when he found her; and how tender and loving he had been this morning.

She took a deep breath and allowed herself a small smile. Sara realized she'd really been worked up yesterday and may have frightened the kids and her husband. Bailey had acted a little different that morning in the bath, eyeing her mom a little bit, wondering in her three year old mind what her momma was thinking. She'd looked at Nick a little differently too, but she definitely didn't seem more afraid of him than before. Bailey knew she'd crossed a line, and she wondered just what her daddy was about. He'd given both twins a big kiss and a hug before he left, so she knew nothing had changed. Her daddy still loved her. Sara realized they'd need to talk to her together now, though, after she and Nick had discussed whether or not this would be a punishment used in this house anymore.

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"Aidan, you got it on aw wrong!" Bailey told her little brother. He had his tightie whities on and was adjusting his shorts because they felt kinda funny. They were on backwards, as his sister observed.

"Hewp me!" He giggled as he looked down at his clothing. Bailey took his shorts down and moved them the other way around on the floor.

"Hoad on to my shouders." She instructed him, like her mommy told her sometimes. Aidan did so and carefully worked his feet into the holes, trusting his little sister. He pulled them up all the way and assessed his outfit, now convinced it was alright. Aidan then looked hopelessly at his red t-shirt sitting on his bed. It didn't even have any pockets on the front, so he had no idea how he was going to get it on right.

Bailey had shunned the clothes her mother set out and again went to the closet to pick out her own outfit. Dressed in just her panties and undershirt, she pulled out a yellow shirt and pink capris. When she got back, her brother was holding his shirt upside down, eyeing it curiously.

"Do you need hewp again?" She asked him.

"Yes, Baiwey."

Bailey sighed and took the shirt from him. Boys were just so clueless. They didn't even know how to match things right. Observing something her father had done a few times for them, she quickly identified the side with the tag, and set the shirt face down on the carpet.

"There. Craw into it." She pointed. Aidan dropped to the floor and laid down, slowly creeping towards his shirt. The little boy slowly worked his arms into the shirt then kind of sat up and let it fall down on his body.

"Finished!" He announced, as Bailey was just finishing putting on her own outfit.

"Wait! Wet's go down togever!" She told her brother, wanting to make their mommy proud. Plus, she thought her mom still might need a little bit of cheering up. She'd heard her mom in the shower this morning, and it sounded like she and daddy were crying together. It sounded like she had gotten a boo-boo and maybe daddy was helping her fix it. But then it sounded like he got hurt too, because she heard him moaning. They looked happy in the kitchen, though.

"Otay." He waited patiently for his sister, and then they walked out, hand in hand.

Sara was just throwing away the last of the Jello mess when she heard the twins coming down the stairs carefully. She'd managed to hear a bit of their conversation since they left the door open and they hadn't learned how to control their voices yet.

"Tada!" Bailey announced as they entered. Sara was pleased to see that all their clothes were actually on right, and shook her head to see that Bailey had changed the items she'd set out. Yellow and pink didn't exactly match, but it would work. Her tastes were improving, and Bailey thought she was the next Ralph Lauren.

"Don't you look beautiful!" She complimented her children, crouching down to their eye level. "And you did it all by yourself! I'm so proud of you!" Sara held out her arms, and they both gave her a big hug.

"Are you aw better now, momma?" Bailey asked her mother. Sara's heart skipped a beat, knowing that her daughter was really concerned about how she was doing. She got a little teary-eyed, and choked them back, because she knew little kids didn't understand happy tears yet.

"Yes, I am much better now." She smiled back at them as she pulled away. "But Bailey, you have to understand I wasn't upset because of what you did, daddy and I just had a little disagreement."

"Disagweemit?" She tried to understand.

"Yes." Her pronouncement was good enough. "Sometimes mommies and daddies do that. But what you did still wasn't okay. We don't throw tantrums and push to get what we want."

"Otay, momma. I'll twy." She promised her mother.

"Good." Sara's eyes lit up as she tickled both of her children and chased them over to the table, where she had their cereal bowls waiting, a cup of milk to the side for them to pour on. The first time mother helped them pour the milk onto their Cheerios and Wheaties, and ate a piece of toast along with them, chatting happily about the day to come.

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"So you have mono? That sucks!" Mally told her best friend at lunch that day. Natalie's mother had called the school and arranged half days for her daughter. She'd be leaving at about 11:30 each day, right in the middle of lunch, which gave the two seniors just a few minutes to talk.

"Yeah, it blows. I'm so pissed about it. I have to keep my grades up to get into Stanford."

Mally cringed every time her friend mentioned 'the S-word'. She was seriously sick of hearing about the Ivy League, but it was all Natalie ever worried about. Mally thought it must be pretty boring worrying about school all the time. Well….that's kind of what she did, but she sucked at it, unlike Natalie. She decided to change the subject to the drama in her life.

"Oh my God, you'll never guess what happened last night! Sara has lost her friggin' mind!"

Natalie's eyes lit up a little. She always loved to hear about Mally's family drama. Sadly, they did like to make fun of Sara a little bit. Mally did get along with her now, but she was still a stepmother, so she was still the brunt of some of their jokes.

"Bailey was throwing a fit, being a brat, you know, so my dad spanked her, and she totally deserved it. Sara goes all postal on him, rips Bailey out of his arms, and takes her upstairs. That was the last I saw her that night."

"Geez, what is up with her? Is she a horrible mother or something?"

"Sometimes." Mally semi-boasted. These days, their conversations were about whose life sucked more, which was somehow entertaining.

"And what's worse, I heard them making up this morning in the shower."

"Nasty!" Natalie made a disgusted face. "That is so revolting. Why do parents do that?"

"I don't know. She's such a freak sometimes." Mally told her friend, causing her to laugh. Mally felt a little sick inside, laughing at Sara's expense. In all fairness, she was a pretty good mom, with her faults like everyone else. She hadn't told Natalie about Sara's abusive past, not wanting to go that far into her privacy. Mally knew she was being unfair gossiping, but something in her warped seventeen year old mind made it funny and interesting. These days, it seemed she had to say or do more and more to keep Natalie entertained. She could feel they were growing apart.

One of the teachers walked up to their table and told Natalie that her mother was here to pick her up. Natalie sighed and started to get up.

"Time for my afternoon nap!" Natalie said in a silly voice, like she was a little girl.

"Bye, Nat. See you tomorrow." Mally told her. Natalie waved over her head as she took off for the door. Mally sighed and looked around her. She was all alone. Again.

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Later that day, Nick Stokes was getting ready to go home, freshening up in the locker room, just as Gil Grissom was coming in for night shift. He had just come from home, where he'd checked on Natalie, who had been working a little bit on homework when he left.

"How's Natalie doing?" Nick asked his long-time friend. He hadn't seen her lately because of her mono, and she'd been so caught up in school work to hang out much with Mally.

"She's taking it a day at a time." Gil sighed. "She'll come home and sleep for about four hours, then start again on her work. I think she'll be fine, though." He admitted. Gil knew that since Natalie was so close to Stanford that she would never let it go. When she tasted something, she went for it, just like him.

"Did they say how long it would last?" Nick grimaced.

"They don't really know. It depends on the person. Hopefully not too long. We have one very unhappy teenager on her hands right now."

"Tell me about it." Nick muttered, sitting on the bench.

"Are you having trouble with Mally?" Gil could tell he was really concerned, so he took a seat next to his colleague and friend.

"I don't know if she told Nat or not. I assume she did. But we just put her on medication for depression and anxiety."

"No, I had no idea." Gil gaped. "The girls haven't been together as much, so I haven't seen her in probably a few weeks. She's really not happy?"

"Terrible. School's been getting her down a lot. Chemistry." He smiled, knowing that Gil would find the same irony he did. The four parents lived for science, and Mally simply detested it.

"Well, maybe Natalie could help her. She's in AP right now. I know you and Sara have tried, but maybe having someone her age explain it."

"I'm sure they've thought of that already. Probably didn't work."

Truthfully, Nick didn't know if Mally had asked her friend to help her. He hadn't heard anything about getting help from Natalie, but he knew Mally probably didn't tell him everything.

"Plus she's really tired now. It probably wouldn't help the situation."

"Yeah…well I'll ask Nat about it. Maybe when she's feeling up to it." Gil suggested. He hated that he rarely saw Mally nowadays. He'd need to have a talk with Natalie about making sure school didn't take over her life, like he let work do sometimes. He'd missed out on a lot of important things in his life until he met Catherine, and she'd shown him what it was like to really live. Natalie needed to experience that too, and he hoped she wasn't pushing her friends away.

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That night when Nick got home, he pulled Mally aside after dinner. He took her out to the porch swing, throwing his arm casually behind her on the bench as the swung. Mally was just staring straight ahead, knowing he was in one of those talking moods, but she wasn't going to spill until he asked something. She had a lot of stuff going on, so who knew what he sniffed, and she wasn't about to tell him all her teenage secrets.

"I talked to your Uncle Gil today." Nick started simply. Mally sighed and crossed her arms, leaning back. What did Uncle Gil know?

"We were talking about our girls." Nick smiled, and stroked her hair a little bit. "We talked about getting you help with school." Nick fished, hoping she would tell him something, but she didn't take.

"Have you ever asked Natalie to help you?"

Mally let out an incredulous sigh. Ask her friend for homework help? Did he think she had no dignity left? Mally knew it would sound weird that she didn't want to ask her friend for help, but that's just the way it was. Friends were for giggling, hanging out, and gossiping, not helping with chemistry. Natalie was her relief from school.

"Dad…She's trying to get into Harvard. She wouldn't have time to tutor me."

"Mal, she's your best friend. Why wouldn't she…"

"She's not my best friend!" Mally snapped at her father, and then wished she hadn't said that. The truth was, they had been drifting apart somewhat. They were still good friends, but it wasn't the same. Natalie was all into the Ivy League and school, and Mally was perfectly happy staying nearby for college. They were on two totally different tracks this last year of high school. And the truth was, she really didn't have a best friend right now. Her senior year was supposed to be her best year ever, but it didn't feel like it.

"I mean…I don't think she'd want to."

Nick stayed silent for a few minutes. He remembered back when he was in high school, growing apart from certain friends he'd had since he was a little. It was very uneasy to say the least. With the promise of college ahead, there were a lot of changes looming for the Stokes family.

"Well, how do you know if you don't ask?" Nick pointed out, trying to sound logical to his daughter. He knew she had a warped mind sometimes.

"It's complicated." She muttered, not wanting to explain all the high school cliques and hierarchies to him.

"Well…just think about it alright?" Nick requested of her, ruffling her hair a bit.

"I will." She told him, though she wasn't sure she would give it any more thought at all. Nick leaned over and kissed her head. He knew that at this stage in her life everything was blown way out of proportion. Things that mattered a big deal right now would mean nothing in a few years; but to her, it was her whole world. Being a teen was tough.

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That night in bed, Nick and Sara were preparing themselves for some big conversation, if they could resist each other for a few more minutes. At the moment, their family was at a crossroads. Mally had become a handful, which had never before been the case in her life, and with two toddlers, the trio was getting tough to manage. They knew they had great kids, but times were tough right now. The two parents had been disagreeing at length lately about how to raise them, punctuated by last night's events. Nick took a more strict, no-nonsense approach to raising the kids, though he was still so caring and sweet with them. Sara, dare they say, was a bit more of a pushover. Bailey was starting to take advantage of her, and Nick didn't want to stand for it.

"So…" Nick started, not knowing where to begin, as they both sat pretzel-style on the middle of the bed facing each other. Sara laced their hands together and moved them back and forth a bit, making Nick smile. With all this going on, they had to remember they were all human; they all needed to keep it light and not take things too seriously.

"So, Bailey seemed alright today." Sara admitted. "She wasn't afraid of you or anything." The mother had been afraid that Nick had done irreparable harm to their relationship, but she found it not to be the case.

"Well, good. I thought she'd get the point." Nick smiled at Sara, knowing she still didn't like the idea of him spanking the kids on even rare occasions. He cleared his throat before continuing, because he knew she wanted an explanation.

"I only spanked Mally a handful of times growing up." He started to explain. "And never for the same reason. I did it once when she lied to me, disobeyed me, was rude to me, disrespectful to her teacher, and once when she almost ran out in front of traffic." Nick rattled off, remembering every occasion he resorted to this type of discipline. It was not something he took lightly, and didn't think Sara quite saw that. "I only use it as a last resort, for major things. She learned her lesson, because she never did it again. Well…she sometimes has a mouth, but what kid doesn't?"

Sara sighed, seeing his point.

"She's not scarred for life, Sara. She's fine. I mean…right now she's having some problems, obviously, but…she'll be fine."

Sara paused before explaining her side.

"I was hit almost weekly up until my father died." She started, breaking Nick's heart right off the bat. "I can't tell you how scared, and completely unloved I felt every time he hit me. It was degrading, demeaning, and damaging to me. And I don't think any child should ever have to experience that, even to the smallest and rarest degree. I see your point…but I don't want you doing it."

Nick stroked the back of her hands with his thumbs, still clasped between them.

"Sara, child abuse is totally different from occasionally spanking them for disciplinary reasons."

Sara shook her head.

"It's still hitting. We're trying to teach them not to hit and push to get what they want, and so we hit them to get what we want? How hypocritical is that? Nick, I don't want our children being hit for any reason." Sara said, looking him straight in the eye. She tried to look strong, but Nick could see the frightened little girl inside her again. How could he ever subject his children to something she so strongly opposed?

"Sara, if that's the way you feel…I would be a horrible husband for doing it. I don't want you to feel that way ever again, or be reminded of it. We'll find other ways to deal with Bailey."

Sara smiled at Nick, elated that he understood and was willing to compromise. She released their hands and grabbed both sides of his face, kissing him passionately. Their lips worked hungrily against each other as Nick began to scoot them up the bed to the pillows, kissing all the way. They came to rest facing each other, Nick running his hand up and down her arm gently.

"Now about Mally." He started. "The doctor said it would be a month before the meds start working. Do you think we should take her to counseling?"

Nick had always thought of counseling as something for really screwed up kids with horrible parents, or traumatic childhoods. Mally had been through a lot, but he would never think of her as troubled. It was taking a lot for him to consider taking her to a therapist.

"I don't know, Nick." She whispered. "You know her best, but she doesn't seem like herself, from what I can tell."

"My gut's telling me to take her." Nick admitted, turning up his mouth a little bit. He knew this would be tough for Mally to digest too.

"Then take her. Go with your instincts. You have good ones." She told him. Nick leaned over and began kissing his wife again, and things quickly turned heated. Sara laughed, but got a little red-faced, when he told her about Mally overhearing them. They'd just have to be more careful. As they made love, they swallowed each other's moans as they brought each other to a exhilarated bliss.


	6. Chapter 6

"No! I don't need to go to counseling! Do you think I'm crazy or something?" An angry Mally Stokes crossed her arms and stood up from her bed, glaring at her dad.

"Mal, you said it yourself. The meds won't start working for another month. Until then, I think talking to someone would be a good idea." Nick was sitting on his daughter's bed on Saturday afternoon, looking up at the now pacing Mally.

"Only psychos go to counseling."

"No, sweetheart. People who are having a little trouble with life go to counseling. You're depressed and anxious. A lot of people are. There's no shame in getting a little help."

Mally kept pacing back and forth around her room as she thought about it. Usually that meant that whatever Nick was trying to convince her of was working its way in his favor.

"How long would I have to do it?" She stopped and looked at him questioningly. Nick gestured with one of his hands.

"However long you need, Mal. This is for you to start feeling better. If it's just until the meds start working, that's fine with me. But if you decide you want to keep going, that's okay too."

Nick was just trying to pawn off the idea on her. He had a feeling that once she started going, she might actually like it. As a father, he knew she didn't tell him everything, though they had a better father daughter relationship than a lot of parents he knew. This would give her a chance to tell someone everything in her mind without fear of discovery or consequences.

Mally was still silent for a few moments, and then finally sat back down next to him on the bed. Looking down at her hands, she gave him her reply.

"Okay."

"Alright?" He checked, moving to look at her face. She looked up at him and nodded her head. "Good. I think this will help a lot."

Nick pulled her into a hug and kissed her head, glad that they were taking a positive step.

"I just want you to be happy."

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"What is our daughter doing now?" Catherine asked her husband as they enjoyed a little coffee at the kitchen table. Gil was doing the crossword, just relaxing together, when they realized she'd been up in her room for a good two hours.

"Alas, I do not know, my beautiful wife." Gil ranted off poetically.

Catherine rolled her eyes and batted his newspaper, causing Gil to give her a fakely annoyed glare.

"Don't get all Shakespearian on me." Catherine warned him. "I'll go check on her." She gave in.

Gil was perfectly contented staying right there, so he didn't offer to go up instead, even though that was what she was hinting at. He knew he'd get smacked, and didn't even flinch when it was delivered to the back of his head. She hit like a girl.

Catherine climbed the stairs to her daughter's room. She knew she'd probably find her doing one of two things: sleeping or studying. Most likely the latter, knowing Natalie.

She knocked on the door and heard a 'come in', so she entered. Natalie was hard at work at her desk, predictably studying some U.S. History.

"Natalie, it's Saturday. You should be out with your friends." Catherine told her daughter as she took a seat on her bed, right next to her desk.

"I have to study when I can. I'm pacing myself." Natalie told her mother, not even taking her eyes off her work.

"I know Stanford is important to you, but your friends and family are too. After you're rested, of course."

"I know, mom." She said in an annoyed tone. Natalie was hearing this a lot from both her parents nowadays. What was wrong with wanting to work a little harder? It made her feel good, and that was all that mattered.

"Why don't you come downstairs and play a board game or something with your dad and I, or call Mally. She's hasn't been over in forever!"

"I'd really rather study right now, mom." She was trying to get her mother to leave the room, but she wasn't getting the hint.

"Do what your mother says." Came Gil's voice from the doorway. He decided to come upstairs after all, knowing Natalie was extra stubborn these days. Gil knew she was studying. That's all she did nowadays. Study and sleep, and it needed to stop.

Natalie let her pencil drop to the desk and turned around in her chair, letting out an incredulous noise at the gang-up.

"What the hell is this?" She glanced between her parents. Natalie was really sick of being disturbed when she wanted to study. Gil started walking towards Natalie and took a seat next to his wife.

"Nat, I know you're sick of hearing this, but you're studying too much." Gil told her. "And you're missing out on what's really important."

"What? Bugs?" She took a stab at him. Gil leaned back on his hands, not amused. Catherine sighed and took over.

"Your dad's right. You never hang out with your friends any more. You're up here all the time. Nat, you're seventeen years old. You need to have fun."

"I don't have time for fun right now!" She told them, getting irritated. "Stanford will look at my high school transcript up until this semester to decide whether to accept me or not. I have to get good grades now, or I'm out. With mono, all I have time for is sleeping and studying."

"What about next year when you're off at Stanford and Mally is here? When will you see her?" Gil pointed out.

Natalie hadn't thought about that. All she was thinking about was next year, and where she would be. She was forgetting about now, and the fact she and Mally would be apart for the first time in their lives next year. Gil could tell he was finally getting through, and felt a little relief.

"And what about us?" He continued. "Your mom and I will miss you a lot next year." Gil said solemnly. Letting go of Lindsey had been hard enough. With both out of the house, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. His life just may be free of female drama….almost.

"We're gonna go back downstairs." Catherine told her, getting up and pulling her husband wit her. "But think about calling Mally tonight. I know she'd love to hang out with you."

Natalie just nodded, looking a little confused at her desk chair as she heard her parents leave. Next year, she was going to be gone. No matter where she went, she wouldn't be here. And Mally would most likely not be with her. Natalie thought about this for the first time, and it scared her to pieces.

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It was a day of talking, and now Nick had Bailey on his back as she took her back to his bedroom, Sara following closely behind them. They'd asked Mally to watch Aidan for a few minutes while they had a little talk with their youngest girl. Bailey was laughing and squealing as her dad reached around to tickle her. When they got to his room, he gently threw her onto the bed and continued his tickling. Sara smiled and closed the door, and then joined the two on the bed.

Nick stopped tickling, and tried to set the mood for a serious conversation. Well, as serious as you could get with a three year old who thought farting was the funniest thing ever. Nick scooted up the bed to the headboard and opened his arms for Bailey to join him. She found her father's lap and snuggled in as her mother sat next to Nick. Bailey got a kiss from both parents.

"Bailey, sweetheart, your mom and I want to talk with you." Nick announced, not knowing how else to start. Bailey looked confused.

"Daddy means we want to ask you some questions, and then you can ask us questions too if you want." Sara tried to clear up. Bailey looked back and forth between her parents and laughed a little. They were really weird sometimes, those adults. Just talk, already! "Is that okay?"

"Yep." She said innocently.

"Okay." Sara started. "Do you remember a couple days ago when you came home with daddy after ice cream?"

She nodded. So far so good.

"Okay. And do you remember when you started throwing a tantrum? When you started screaming and then you pushed me?"

Bailey looked sorry, and nodded her head. She knew she'd crossed the line, but wasn't all that good at apologizing yet or knowing what to do about it.

"And what did daddy do when you threw a tantrum?" She asked her daughter, rubbing her arm lightly.

"He hitted me on my bottom." Bailey said, remembering.

"That's right. I know you didn't like that. Sometimes mommies and daddies do that when kids misbehave, and that's what daddy did."

"An' then you took me away an' you were scweamin' and cwyin'." Bailey remembered more vividly. It had scared her bad to see her mother that way. She didn't want to go with her mommy right then, but was too scared to say anything. She didn't want either of her parents at that moment.

"You're right. Mommy got a little upset." Nick clarified, then kissed her head. "And mommy and I talked later, and we decided that we shouldn't spank you when you misbehave. We don't want to hit you or make you feel scared."

Truthfully, Nick didn't agree with the decision, but he'd do anything for his wife. If that meant finding a different means of punishment, so be it. They were a team, and that was the way they wanted to present themselves to their children. He was purposely using the word 'we', instead of just 'mommy'.

"Do you understand, Mally?" Sara asked her daughter.

"What about Aidan?" She inquired, thinking first of her brother.

"We won't spank him either." Nick told her.

"Okay. Can I go pway now?" She asked, wanting to go back to her toys. As a three year old, she wasn't that concerned with philosophy. She just wanted to play.

"Of course." Sara said. They decided to keep it short and sweet. Bailey stood up and carefully crawled off the bed. She waddled out of the room, stepping carefully down the stairs to where her brother played.

Nick and Sara looked at each other and smiled.

"Well, that went well." Nick chuckled, smiling at his wife.

"Surprisingly." Sara commented. They nuzzled their noses together for a moment and then kissed sweetly. The moment was interrupted when the phone rang. Since they were right next to the phone, Sara picked it up.

"Hello? Oh hey, Natalie. It's good to hear from you! How's the mono going? Well, good! I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll go get Mally."  
Sara put the phone and down and headed for the stairs. She yelled over the banister to her step-daughter, who quickly ran to the phone. Up in their room, Nick hung up the phone when he heard his daughter's voice take over. He was glad they were talking more, and it sounded like they were going to do something tonight.

Sara strutted back into the room, trying to put on a funny show. She wiggled her body around, with the most ridiculous look on her face, as she slowly made her way back to the bed.

Nick was rolling with laughter by the time she got there and had to look away. Sara was a piece of work. She moved enticingly on her hands and knees until she hovered over her husband, singing stripper music as she worked.

"You're a tease." Nick told her, putting his hand on his forehead and rubbing. Sara pulled on his body, causing him to lay flat on the bed. The move took Nick by surprise, causing him to screech a little. His hands rested on her sides, where her shirt was riding up a bit.

"You're so hot, Nick." She teased him, running a finger over his flat, muscular stomach. "And you're all mine." Sara finally bent down and captured his lip, quickly diving her tongue into his mouth. They were kissing when they heard someone clear her throat from the doorway.

"Seriously, guys! Ewww! All three of your children are home, and the door is open!" Mally complained from the doorway. The parents looked up, thinking they'd just see Mally, but she had Aidan on her hip, and Bailey holding her free hand.

"Mommy, what are you doing to daddy?" Bailey yelled in horror. The two parents instantly sat up, readjusting their clothing. They quickly got off the bed and went over to their children.

"What do you want, rascals?" Nick asked, picking up Bailey from the floor. He blew a raspberry on her face and started to carry her downstairs. Sara soon followed along with Mally and Aidan. Sara listened to her family talking as they walked down the stairs.

"You're gonna get to hang out with mommy and daddy alone tonight." Mally told her brother. "I'm going to Natalie's house. Do you remember Natalie?" She hard Mally tell her brother.

"Did you not wike mommy's outfit?" Bailey inquired, trying to make sense of their make out session on the bed. "Were you making her change?"

"Noooo." Nick tried to explain, becoming embarrassed. "Sometimes mommies and daddies just like to kiss."

"Ewwwww." She heard Bailey groan. Sara smiled as she reached the bottom of the stairs behind her family. This was the type of moment she dreamed about having as a child, and all up through her adulthood. A family. They were a family. Through the bad times and the good, they were there.


	7. Chapter 7

Mally had been going to counseling for a good two weeks now, and had squeezed almost five sessions in. Her dad had been right – it was making her feel better. Mally knew her father didn't expect her to tell him everything – no sane teenager would – and so she appreciated the fact she could share all her secrets with this stranger. It was somehow comforting. Those who don't know you can't judge you so much. They don't know what you're like, and you don't ever have to face them again or answer for your secrets you told them. It was like someone to heave all your troubles on and they'd never complain or punish you.

In her talks with her counselor however, Mally started to have an itch she hadn't scratched in about seven years. Her mother had been brought up. Carolyn, her birth mother, had abandoned Mally and Nick when she was about two, and headed off for New York to get a dancing job. They hadn't heard from her since, apart from cards she sent each year at Mally's birthday and Christmas. The cards had strangely stopped this year, however, which made Mally wonder. Had she given up? What was she up to? What was her life all about? Does she have any other kids now? Is she married? Her counselor had convinced her that she needed to bring this up with her father. Mally was afraid to – not afraid of her father, but afraid of hurting him. She knew her mother was still an open wound that Nick tried to leave alone, but it was always there.

"If you're not in your room by the time I count to three, there will be no TV tonight!" Came Nick's firm warning to his youngest daughter. Mally had just come to him asking to talk, and by the way she asked, it sounded serious. Bailey had picked her normal horrible time to misbehave. Handing out a punishment and her actually accepting it were two totally different things. The girl was stubborn as a mule.

Mally sat patiently in her room while she waited for her father to take care of Bailey. The little booger. Mally couldn't believe the way she acted sometimes. She was the total opposite of herself as a young child. She wondered how different she would be if she had her mother growing up.

"One…two….three."

Mally heard Bailey screech as Nick picked her up and marched her to her bedroom. He made her sit on her bed, and threatened there'd be more trouble if she moved. She heard her sister sobbing from the next room as Nick closed the door.

"Sorry, baby. Bailey was acting up again." Nick sat on his bed with his Mally. His first-born, and one of the four loves of his life. He never thought he could love any creature as much as he loved Mally, but when Bailey and Aidan made their debut, his heart was stuffed full, but in a very good way.

"That's okay."

Nick patted the hand that was rested on her leg in support. He could tell she wanted to bring up something important and that she was nervous about it. Somehow he knew that it was about her mother, because she never acted like this unless she was the subject.

"I've been talking to my counselor, you know." She started, fidgeting nervously. Her dad's caring gaze comforted her, and she could continue knowing he'd support her no matter what. "And we talked about…my mother. I mean, Carolyn, my mother, not Sara."

"I understand." He nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"And…I, we." She stumbled. "I think I want to try to find her." Mally finally blurted, feeling her face turn red. What would her father think? Would he hate her? She looked down at her hands in case his face was disappointed.

Nick had to take a few seconds to digest what she'd just said. She wanted to find Carolyn. She wanted to meet her. Carolyn? He didn't know if he could handle seeing her again, let alone being supportive of Mally meeting her. The woman was a nightmare the last he heard of her, which was fifteen years ago. Though he was concerned about what his reaction would be, he was more concerned about Mally. He didn't want her heart being broken. Nick had no idea what Carolyn would do or say. That was an unknown. He didn't want her heart to break again.

"Mal…"

"I know you don't think it's a good idea." She started to backtrack, and she rambled before Nick gently grasped her chin and turned it to face him.

"Mal, you didn't let me finish." He stopped her, and she smiled a bit. Nick released her chin and took her hands this time instead.

"I know what I think about Carolyn, but we had this discussion back when you were ten, remember? Back when you found those cards? And we decided that you had a right to want to know about her." He paused, the next part difficult for him to say. "If you want to meet her, then that's what we'll do. We'll do our best to track her down, okay? If that's what you really want."

Mally was so touched she could cry. She knew how much her father despised Carolyn, but he was willing to face her again for his daughter.

"Thank you, daddy." She sniffled, and she practically dove in for a hug. Nick let her cry a little bit, stroking her hair gently, when they heard the door creak open. A timid looking brown eye poked in from about three feet up. The dark brown hair was curled and mussed.

"Daddy, can I pway now?"

"I don't recall saying you could come out of your room. Get back on your bed right now." He ordered Bailey calmly. The door shut quickly and they heard the scurry of her little feet until they disappeared, followed by the light spring from her mattress. They both chuckled at her.

"How did you handle me alone at that age?" Mally smiled, wiping her eyes.

"Ohhhh, you weren't like that at all." Nick told her, standing up. "You were a little angel for the most part, unlike your Highness next door."

Mally smiled, but she had to admire her sister's steely reserve. She'd actually waited until her father counted to three. He'd counted to three! As a young child, Mally thought the world would end if he got to three. Bailey was testing him constantly, trying to see just how much she could get away with. The girl had some guts, Mally had to admit. She also knew that Bailey would have been over Nick's knee a long time ago if it was up to him. She'd made him count to three and disobeyed him, which he never tolerated with Mally, or any of his children, but he'd have to deal with it a different way. He'd made a promise to Sara and to Bailey, and he was a man of his word.

"I need to go deal with Miss Precious right now." He rolled his eyes, putting his hands in his pockets. "But I'll call some people tomorrow and we'll get started, okay? We'll figure this out." Nick half-smiled at her, knowing she was fast growing up. She was making her own decisions, and he'd done his best to guide her to the right ones all her life. And this was her first major decision on her own. Mally wanted to know her birth mother.

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Natalie sighed deeply and felt her insides turn to brick as she sealed up the envelope. Her application to Stanford. She'd worked hard her entire high school career – no, her entire life – and it was all culminating into this one friggin' manila folder of contents. The semester would soon be over, and her grades would be mailed to Stanford, where they'd review her file. 1530 SAT's and a 3.92 G.P.A. with extra curriculars out the wazoo was competitive, but amazing people had been rejected before.

She had her backpack ready to go as she stood at the kitchen table, manila folder tucked underneath her arm. Her father looked up from the newspaper, seeing she was all set.

"You ready, sweetheart?" He asked her, knowing she was nervous and desperate to know about Stanford. The suspense would be killing them all. Like, how was he going to pay for college the second time around? And Ivy League? He was proud of Natalie, but damn!

"As ready as I'll ever be." She confessed in a half-joking voice, but Gil could see right through it. She was scared out of her damn mind.

Gil stood up and brought Natalie into a big hug, kissing her head.

"Whatever Stanford says, it'll be fine. If they don't take you, which they'd be stupid not to, there are plenty of great school out there. I know you'll be happy at whatever college you choose."

"But I want Stanford!" She moaned into his shoulder. Natalie was trying to find some humor in this. She sometimes covered nervousness with humor, but it never worked with her dad.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine. Your mom and I love you so much, and we're gonna miss you wherever you go."

Natalie shed a tear and quickly wiped it away, not believing her old dad was actually getting to her. She'd miss him too. Gil could see she was uncomfortable, so he pulled back and patted her shoulders a bit.

"Let's get you to school."

Gil picked up his keys and Natalie followed, thankful the mooshiness was now over. Her dad was such a sap.

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Nick had told Sara about Mally's wishes when she came home that night. Sara thought it was a really good idea, and Mally was exuberant that she agreed. She knew Nick would support her anyway, but it was great to have Sara on her side too. The senior was giddy with excitement about what could come, but still nervous also. She talked about it all night, and Nick tried his best to sound upbeat about it, but his heart wasn't there. He just knew something was up with Carolyn, and he was dreading finding her again after all these years. But it was what Mally wanted, and he'd do anything for her.

Mally was playing happily with Bailey in the living room, and Nick was exhausted, so he started up the stairs while Sara finished up a few things. He was two steps up when a voice stopped him.

"Daddy!" Aidan called him from the floor. The kid was so happy-go-lucky, he'd walked right past him. The little boy held his arms up, wanting to be held. Nick smiled and leaned down to get his son. With a grunt, he picked up his growing child and carried him up the stairs.

Nick was one to always make sure each of his children got 'alone with daddy' time. He knew it was important for their relationship to know he cared about each one individually. Nick didn't want any of them to feel left out, and with Aidan's quiet demeanor, he often worried about his son being overlooked. The middle child syndrome. He kissed his son's head as he took him into the master bedroom.

Aidan didn't make a sound, just holding on to his daddy's neck as Nick sat on the bed at the headboard. He set his son on his lap and held him close. With Mally it had been so easy – she was the only one, so she got all of his time. Now he split his time five ways – each of his children, his wife, and his work. It was tough to juggle, but Nick loved his life.

Nick just gently stroked and held his son for a few minutes, tenderly showing affection to him. The little boy seemed to calm even more around Nick, and he could feel his breathing shallowing out.

"Daddy?" He heard after a few minutes.

"Yes, Aidan?"

"W'as Mawwy tawkin' 'bout?" He questioned, referring to her gleeful spiels about find her mother. To Aidan, her mother was already right there – it was Sara. What was she talking about finding her mother?

Nick knew this was going to be hard to explain, but he'd try.

"Well, you see, a long time ago, daddy thought he was in love with this other lady named Carolyn."

"But you wove mommy!" He pointed out.

"You're right. I love mommy now. But before I met your mommy, I knew Carolyn." Nick decided he would try to make it sound like a story book or a fairy tale. "And I thought Carolyn was so perfect, so we decided to have a baby together."

"Mawwy?"

"Yes! So that's when Mally was born. So Carolyn is Mally's real mother, but she lives with us still. But Sara's her momma now, just like you."

"But onwy mommies and daddies can haf babies." Aidan pointed out innocently. He still had so much to learn about this world, but his innocence was refreshing. Nick knew that he meant they had to be married and love each other very much.

"Well, sometimes, mommies and daddies aren't married when they have children, but that's okay too. I love Mally a lot."

"As much as me?"

"Oh, yes!" He hugged his son tight. "The exact same. I love you all so much!" As Nick pulled him in tighter, he started to lay down on the bed. Just like when Mally was little, Aidan snuggled into a sweet spot on Nick's chest, under the crook of his neck. Nick put his strong, comforting arms around his son and breathed out deeply. They just lay there together, listening to each other breathe and each other's hearts. Nick remembered why he loved doing this so much with Mally. It was such a bonding experience. Soon, they were both asleep.

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Mally had since gone to bed, and Sara had finally gotten Bailey down. She assumed Nick and Aidan were snuggling or something in their room, because they'd been up there forever. Sara opened the door to the master bedroom to find the adorable sight.

Nick was sprawled on his back in the middle of the bed, one of his legs tucked up underneath the other. His left hand cradled their son's head, while the right arm was hanging loosely over Aidan's back. Aidan was out like a light on his stomach. His legs were on either side of Nick's stomach, and his left arm was clutched underneath his own chin. His right hand had traveled up and was resting on Nick's forehead. Sara smiled to herself and got the camera. She snapped a quick shot of the sleeping pair, causing Nick to stir a little.

Nick smiled up at his wife as he rubbed his eyes, becoming aware that Aidan's hand was on his forehead. He gently reached up and took his hand, giving it a kiss before placing it on the pillow.

Sara crawled onto the bed and snuggled up on her side next to Nick. His right arm went around his wife, pulling her closer as they watched their son sleep.

"Are you scared?" She asked her husband. After a few moments, Nick answered.

"Yeah. Out of my mind." He admitted, not afraid to show his emotions. "Carolyn is just such a crazy _bitch_ you know." He said as quiet as he could. "I don't want Mally getting hurt, but this is what she wants."

Sara kissed him tenderly and slowly, trying to show her support. She knew this must be awful for Nick to have to revisit a past he wasn't proud of.

"You're a great father. And no matter what happens with Carolyn, Mally will be just fine, because she has you."

"Thank you." He kissed her back with a little more force, though taking care not to disturb the sleeping child on his chest.

"You look pretty good with a little kid in your arms." Sara commented, stroking her son's back.

"You're not too bad yourself."

The parents laid back down, allowing themselves to drift off into a much-needed sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day, and they'd need all the emotional and physical energy they had.

A/N: So, upon a recent reading of parts of my story, I noticed an overabundance of sleeping and putting people to bed. Sorry about that! I guess I just have a thing about people sleeping – it brings out the caring side in others, I guess. I hope you don't mind. GEORGE EADS IS HOT.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hey, y'all. So this one's really really angsty, and more angst to come. I guess Mrs Eads is rubbing off on me. This chapter is dedicated to her, b/c she is the queen of angst. You rock! Thanks for all the awesome reviews, and please continue!

The next morning, it was Nick's turn to head into work, and Sara stayed home. She was busy feeding the twins at the table when Nick kissed her goodbye and an excited Mally followed him out the door to catch a ride. The girl was practically oozing enthusiasm and energy at the prospect of meeting her birth mother. Sara could tell it was scaring the hell out of Nick – not just what would happen if they couldn't find her, but what would happen if they did.

Last night, Nick had fished out Carolyn's last card to Mally – a Christmas card two years ago. The cards had strangely stopped since then; she hadn't missed a birthday or Christmas since 1995. Nick had a bad feeling about it, but he'd promised Mally they'd look for her. He tucked the last card and envelope into his work bag, and promised to call the New York City Ballet, and City Hall, to see if he could pick up any threads. Carolyn never included her return address on the envelopes, obviously never wanting to be contacted.

"When are you gonna call?" Mally was practically bouncing in her seat. She didn't know how she was going to get through the school day. All that was running through her mind was her mother, and she was so sure that they'd find her. She was picturing talking to her today, even though that probably wouldn't happen, but you never know. It happened on Lifetime, so why not her life?

"Mal, I don't want you getting too excited, and then be disappointed." Nick tried to calm her down, but it was no use. "We don't know where she is, and if she even wants to be found."

"Dad, stop being so pessimistic! We could find her today!" She beamed.

"Maybe, sweetheart. I just don't want you getting hurt." Nick said softly, wishing this whole thing had never come up. They were perfectly happy as their family of five. Why did Mally want to go traipsing around for the number one villain in his life? He loved Mally, but he really hated Carolyn.

"I won't get hurt." She said matter-of-factly. The girl had some tough skin, he had to admit. She'd been through a lot in her life, and she was turning out wonderfully. He just prayed that Carolyn, or lack thereof, wouldn't mess up everything he'd raised her to be, or knock her down.

The Denali pulled up to Las Vegas High, and Nick let out a cleansing sigh, willing himself to stay calm.

"Have a good day at school, alright, and try not to think too much about it."

"Yeah, right! That's all I'm gonna think about! Love you, dad." Mally gave him a kiss on the cheek and hopped out the car, walking confidently into the front doors.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Nick muttered as he drove away to work.

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"Yes, may I speak to the director? Thank you." Nick nervously cleared his throat as he paced Grissom's office, an envelope in hand. He fanned the object back and forth nervously as he waited for the receptionist to transfer him. Nick had finally willed himself to do it. Grissom let him use his office while he called the New York City Ballet Company, where Carolyn may have worked. It was a stab in the dark, but at least it was something.

"Yeah, hi. My name is Nick Stokes and I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. I was hoping just to find out some information about your dancers. Has anyone ever worked there named Carolyn Malders?"

"Carolyn Malders?" Said the voice on the other end. "Well, I have been director here for only a year or so, so I'd have to check the personnel files. May I ask why?"

Nick didn't know to tell the truth, or go into some spiel about investigating some crime. In the end, he decided to go with his heart.

"Actually, I'm calling for my daughter. Carolyn is her mother, and we haven't heard from her in fifteen years. My daughter really wants to meet her, if at all possible."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that." The man apologized, showing genuine empathy for their situation. "That's a tough situation. Uh…let me talk with some people around and I'll get back to you. You said your name is Nick Stokes?"

Nick thanked the man and gave him his phone number. After hanging up, Nick felt his heart rate return to normal and he let out a huge gust of air. They may be getting somewhere, and he wasn't sure if he was happy about it or not. What would she look like after all these years? Had she moved on, or did she still think about them all the time, like he thought about her? Was she okay?

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Sara had been called into work that afternoon, so she had to drop the twins off at the Grissoms', where Catherine was watching them, since she didn't have to go to work until later. They needed her to stay, so Nick drove over to pick up the twins, and then he would pick up Mally from softball practice at school. He was dreading seeing Mally, because she'd be so excited, but he'd have to break her the news.

"Come in!" Catherine called from the floor when she heard the doorbell ring. A solemn-looking Nick Stokes walked through the door, though he tried to look cheery for the twins. He quietly shut the door and sat down on the couch next to where the twins were happily playing with some of Natalie and Lindsey's old toys. "Hi there, stud!" Catherine nudged his leg, but then her face dropped when she saw the look on his.

"What's the matter?" She asked him, looking genuinely concerned. They'd been through a lot together, and she could tell when something was really wrong. At the show of empathy, Nick's eyes welled up with tears and he shook his head, looking down.

"Kids, you keep on playing. I'm going to go get something to drink in the kitchen with your daddy." Catherine told the three year olds. She got up and pulled on Nick's upper arm as he tried to control himself. Nick kept his face hidden under his baseball hat and skillfully stood up in one swift motion. Though he'd successfully hidden his face, the twins knew something was wrong.

"Why daddy sad?" Aidan asked his sister as they played with their cousins' toys.

"I don' know. Maybe he got a boo boo." Bailey figured, and they went back to playing, though their daddy was on their mind.

Back in the kitchen, Nick faced away from his children and put a hand over his face, leaning on the counter for support.

"Nick, what's wrong? What happened? Is it Mally?" Catherine asked quickly, trying to look up into her friend's face. She rarely saw him in tears. In fact, the only times she remembered him in tears was his children's births, when he had a gun pointed to his face twice. Man, this guy had been through a lot! What the hell was wrong now?

The whole situation had happened so fast, Nick didn't even have a chance to tell Catherine what he was doing. He'd let Grissom know they were searching for Carolyn, but that was basically all he had time for.

"Carolyn's dead." He managed to get out, between tears. Nick didn't know why he was so upset about it, seeing as he hated her so much. But she was the mother of one of his children, and he did think he loved her for a short while. Mostly, he cried for Mally, because he knew she would take this hard.

"Carolyn?" Catherine repeated, confused, as she rubbed his upper arm in support. That was out of the blue. "You mean Mally's mother?"

"Yeah." He sputtered out, wiping at his eyes and pacing a little bit. "Mally decided she wanted to find her, and so I called the New York City Ballet today, just on a whim."

"Okay, and that's what they told you?" She tried to talk calmly to settle him down, but he was still so worked up.

"A dancer who'd been there for a while said they remembered her. She was fired ten years ago after they found out she was on drugs, but they still kept in touch. She OD'd two years ago."

"Oh, Nicky, I'm so sorry." Catherine's heart broke at how upset he was. Bless his heart – even though she'd burnt him bad, Nick still genuinely cared and was concerned about Carolyn, especially since she was Mally's mother. Carolyn didn't deserve to have him, and she was actually thankful she'd disappeared. This opened up so many old wounds for Nick, but he was such a good dad, doing this for his daughter. Catherine brought him into a hug, and he cried into her shoulder like a little kid for a good few minutes.

Bailey and Aidan had been listening to their father crying from the other room, though they couldn't make out what they were saying. They'd been slowly walking their way to the kitchen, eyes wide, and looking worried. Catherine looked over Nick's shoulder to see the twins peeking around the wall. She smiled and mouthed 'hi' to them. They both waved timidly and smiled a little. Catherine motioned for them to come over, and she patted Nick on the back to get him to pull himself together.

"Daddy." They both whispered almost simultaneously, concerned about their daddy. The twins were just beginning to learn about feelings, and how people could sometimes be sad. They'd never seen their father crying before, and it was a little unsettling, but reassuring at the same time. Each twin latched on to one of his legs.

Nick's heart melted at the thought of his two youngest coming to cheer him up. They wouldn't understand; they were so young. And he didn't want to worry them with adult issues. He and Sara would have to explain death to them, and have to explain why they were all so upset, especially Mally.

"Hey guys." He smiled through his tears, wiping his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

"Daddy, why you cwyin'?" Aidan asked his father, his own eyes welling up with tears. He got very emotional when he saw that others were emotional. Nick leaned down and positioned both twins on either hip, and then grunted, standing back up again.

"Daddy's just a little upset." He told them, giving both a kiss on the cheek. "Sometimes adults get sad too."

"Are you otay now?" Bailey asked him, taking his chin into her hands and giving him quite a grown up look. She'd seen him do this with their mommy and Mally when they were upset. Nick smiled and kissed her again on the lips this time.

"I'm okay. But we'll talk later about why daddy's upset, because mommy and Mally will be upset too."

"But why?" Bailey asked, frustrated. Her little forehead crinkled with concern, not understanding what her crazy dad was talking about now.

"I'll tell you later, but I have to talk to mommy and Mally first."

Nick started walking towards the door and Catherine scooted around him to open the front door.

"Sorry to run." Nick told her, offering a small smile, with a toddler in each arm.

"That's okay. You do what you need to do." Catherine told him seriously. She knew he had a tough night ahead of him, having to tell Mally about her mother. Knowing Mally, she would be heartbroken, and she was the last kid who deserved it. It was a good thing she had such a wonderful father and step-mother.

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Mally bolted across the field when she saw her father's Denali pull up to the softball diamond. Sara was supposed to pick her up today, so it must be good news if her father came instead. Her gear in tow, she ran for the Denali at full speed, a smile plastered all over her face. Nick looked down and about started crying again at her juvenile hope and enthusiasm. He didn't want to have to break her heart, but he'd have to. Nick just needed to hold her off until they got home. He didn't want to tell her in the car.

"You found her, didn't you?" Mally beamed as she hopped into the front seat. Her little brother and sister were strapped into their booster seats in the back, sitting quietly for once.

"No, sweetheart, I'm afraid not." Nick told her for now. He knew if he said he did find her, she'd just ask more questions and the truth would come out. Damn her curiosity. Mally's face sunk and she looked down at her cleats.

"Oh." She settled in and buckled her seatbelt. "I thought since Sara didn't pick me up, you had fou…"

"Since when are you calling her Sara?" Nick about snapped as he pulled out. "You've called her 'mom' for almost two years."

"Sorry." Mally told him, and she could tell he was upset for some reason, so she decided to concentrate on the twins. She knew this was hard for her father, and he was probably upset that he hadn't found her yet. Mally turned around in her seat, sitting on her knees, and she put on an excited face for them, because they were looking sullen.

"Hey, guys!" She reached out and tickled both under their chins, causing them to giggle. Mally was going on, talking excitedly to them, and the twins told their big sister about their days. She'd been turned around for a good minute or so, when Nick had to swerve to miss hitting a cat. Mally was thrown to her right, and she had to put her hand out to stop herself from falling over, accidentally putting her weight on Nick.

"Dammit, Mally!" Nick snapped, as he corrected the car. "Would you just sit down in your seat and face forward!"

Aidan started crying at his father's raised voice, and Mally quickly turned around, a shocked and confused look on her face. What was up her dad's ass today? Nick stopped at a red light ahead.

"Sorry. You didn't have to yell. You scared Aidan." She told him. Aidan's wailing continued, making Nick feel annoyed, but sorry he had upset his son. Bailey didn't seem too affected by the outburst. Nothing seemed to affect her too much, and she just looked out the window, sucking on her fingers.

"I'm sorry. I just had a really long day. Sara got called into work, and I was making phone calls for you all day, and…"

"Go, dummy ass!" Bailey yelled from the backseat, because the light had turned green, and Mally burst out laughing. That was about the last straw for Nick, who was at the end of his rope emotionally, and he finally snapped, immediately wishing he hadn't.

"Bailey Catherine Stokes! If you say that word ever again, you're gonna get your butt spanked!" Nick boomed, and he pulled into the intersection. The car was entirely silent for a few moments, and then both twins slowly started bawling. Nick had really scared all of them now, and they didn't like seeing their beloved daddy like this one bit.

Aidan cried because of the noise and Nick's anger. He didn't feel like he was in control of the situation, or his father was. The strange feeling was very unsettling for him.

Bailey cried because Nick had practically broken his promise to her. He'd threatened to spank her, and he promised he would never to that again. So much for promises! She wailed at the feeling of betrayal, and the horrific noise coming from her father's mouth.

Mally cried softly at his outburst. Something was wrong and he wouldn't tell her. Something was terribly wrong. He'd threatened Bailey, even though he'd given his word to both her sister and Sara he'd never lay a hand on her again.

Nick started weeping silently because he'd just upset and scared his children, which is something he swore he'd never do. He'd broken his promise by threatening Bailey. He'd snapped at them for practically no reason, and let his emotions cloud his judgment. He cried for his dead ex-lover; Mally's mother. He cried because Mally would never get to meet the woman she so desperately wanted to. And he cried for himself; for letting himself deny Mally of meeting her mother when she was alive, even if she was a walking nightmare.

The rest of the trip was in silence, apart from the sounds of soft crying from all four Stokeses. You could cut the tension with a knife, and they all just wanted out of that car. They pulled into the driveway, and Mally got out quickly, opening the door behind her to get a crying Aidan. She unbuckled him and carried him inside, cradling his head gently as he cried.

"Mally, hold up!" Nick called gently, but she continued. Mally took him up to his room and laid him down.

Nick had watched his two oldest disappear into the house and sighed. He could still hear Bailey crying from the backseat and he kicked himself mentally for scaring her as he opened the door. His heart broke as he saw his daughter curled up, and she actually looked at him like she was afraid.

Nick reached out to pick her up, and she tried to squirm away from him. He dropped his arms to his sides in frustration and took a calming breath. He deserved this. She was afraid of him now, because he threatened her and broke his promise.

"Bailey, I'm not going to hurt you." Nick reassured her gently. "I promise." He said, not know if that would do the trick, but praying it would. She allowed her father to unbuckle her, but then she pushed his hands away and got out of her seat herself. Nick realized he'd brought this on himself and stood by with his hands out, ready to catch her, as she carefully hopped out the Denali. As soon as she was on the ground, she ran as fast as she could right past him and up the front door, slamming it shut the best he could.

Nick felt like crying again, and he shook his head and cradled the bridge of his nose in his fingers. When he got inside, the twins' bedroom door was closed, and he knew Mally was taking care of her siblings. Mally was such a gift to him, and he thought he would literally not be able to live if he ever lost her. If he kept pulling stuff like this, he just might, he thought to himself.

Nick crashed on the couch, putting a hand over his eyes, and drifted into a much-needed sleep. He'd fix this all when he got up.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hey, there! Sorry for the slight delay. As I said, the end of a school year is mad hectic. I've only got four more days left! Woo hoo! I'll try to update within the week, but maybe not. Please review!

**Sara's pov**

I came home to find the house almost silent, which is, of course, unusual with two young children and a teenager. It felt like I was having wild flashbacks. How Nick was laying there on the couch looking guilty, like he'd done something awful. He looked like my father – like how he looked after he'd gone into one of his drunken beating spells and came to afterwards, realizing what he'd done. The look on his face made me want to rush to my babies instinctually to make sure they were okay. That they were safe. Nick must've seen the look on my face, because he jumped up and grabbed my arm before I could rush off and scare the kids again.

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Regular pov

Nick had to all but drag Sara over the couch, and she was starting to cry. She could tell something bad had happened, and her first thought was her children. Nick assured her they were okay and spent the next minute or so calming her down, gently stroking her back and hair, all the while trying to take deep breaths himself.

Both were breathing heavily, but calming, when Nick spoke.

"Baby, I have to tell you something." Nick practically gasped, still choking on tears. "Mally's mother is dead." He whispered.

"Carolyn?" She looked at him in disbelief. "How did you find out?"

"I contacted the New York Ballet, and one of the dancers remembered her. She OD'd two years ago." He informed his wife, reliving the pain as he told her. Sara's face quickly turned from confusion and judgment, to sorrow. She could see this really upset Nick, though she didn't know Carolyn. She was a big part of his life for three years; she was the mother of his child. Sara took his face in her hands and made eye contact as Nick began to cry again.

"I haven't told Mally yet, but I…I snapped at the kids." Nick admitted, already feeling ashamed and sick for himself.

"Sshhhhh…" Sara planted a gentle kiss on his lips, trying to calm him. "We all have bad days. We'll just have to talk to them later, okay?"

"I know, but I…" He shook his head in shame and his face looked disgusted, "I threatened to spank Bailey after I told her I wouldn't."

Sara's face changed a little. It looked like she'd been used, and she'd just found out. But then, she saw how upset Nick was. Sara could tell right then he regretted it deeply, and he was ashamed for breaking his promise.

"But you just threatened, right?"

"Yeah. Mally's in the twins' room, taking care of them. She's pretty upset with me now, anyway."

"Oh, Nick." She kissed his forehead in comfort. "You made a mistake, but we can fix it." Sara whispered, tears forming in her eyes. Nick leaned in and kissed his wife tenderly and slowly, as they both continued to cry softly. They laid back on the couch, and just held each other for a while, processing what was going on.

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Mally sat in Bailey's bed with a twin on either side of her. They were all still sniffling a little bit at their dad's outburst. Nick had always been a very calm, patient man, so all three children were confused as to why he had snapped. The twins didn't know any better, but Mally knew something must have happened to cause such a reaction. Did it have something to do with her mother?

"Mawwy, where's mommy?" Aidan finally asked.

"I don't know. I heard the door a while ago. Maybe she's home. Do you want to go see her?" She stroked his hair lovingly.

"Is daddy still out there?"

"I think so."

"Then I want to stay here." The little boy said quickly.

"Okay. We'll just stay here. I'm sure mommy will come see us soon."

The three Stokes children sat quietly for a few more minutes in Bailey's bed, when they heard quiet footsteps coming up the stairs, which they identified as their mother's. A knock a few seconds later.

"Who is it?" Mally asked, just to make sure.

"It's mom." Sara answered.

"Come in."

Sara solemnly walked into the twins' room and found her three children on the bed, in an embrace. She was so thankful to have Mally; to take care of her two babies when she was away. Sara didn't know what would have happened if Nick had snapped like that at Bailey and Aidan, and Mally was away.

The twins immediately stood up at the sight of their mom, holding their arms out to be held. Sara tried her best to find a spot on the tiny toddler bed, and the twins immediately pounced on her, wanting to sit in her lap and be hugged.

"Hey, guys. I missed you." She kissed them both on the head. "Thank you, Mally." Sara told her daughter genuinely. Mally smiled slightly and nodded, and laid down.

"Mommy, why's daddy so mad?" Bailey asked her mother, her eyebrows knitted in confusion.

Sara and Mally made eye contact, and then Mally knew for sure it was about her and her mother. Mally quickly moved her eyes away and looked down at the bed. It must be bad news, if he'd snapped like that. He didn't want to tell her something. Carolyn probably didn't want to meet her.

"Well, your daddy had a really bad day." Sara started, "And sometimes when people are in a bad mood, they say and do things that aren't okay. That they don't really want to say."

"Daddy's mad at me." Bailey started to sob.

"No, sweetheart. Your daddy's not mad at you. He's not mad at anyone. He shouldn't have threatened you or yelled at you, baby, but he just had a really bad day."

"But he scareded me." Aidan sobbed.

Sara's heart broke and she held the twins a little bit closer. This is how she remembered feeling after her father came home drunk, and took it out on her. They thought it was their fault, and they were just so scared.

"I know, baby. And daddy's sorry. He really is. And he's going to come upstairs in a minute to apologize."

The twins seemed to stir a little bit, unsure if they wanted to see him. Sara sensed their uneasiness.

"He calmed down now. When he comes in, he won't yell at you or be loud, okay? He'll be back to regular daddy."

The twins trusted their mother incessantly, so that put their minds at ease. Sara and the children just sat on the bed and engaged in a little small talk while they waited for Nick to come upstairs.

Minutes later, heavier, but kind footsteps played on the stairs, that they all recognized as Nick's. He quietly knocked on the door and Sara told him to come in.

As he entered, his face was solemn and sorry. Mally could immediately tell he was ashamed of how he'd acted, but that didn't mean she was going to forgive him so fast after scaring her little brother and sister. Nick knelt down next to the bed, but decided not to touch any of the children. He wanted them to make the choice to make the first move.

"I'm sorry, guys." He apologized whole-heartedly, glancing between his three children. "Daddy didn't mean to snap like that at you. I had a really bad day, and I said some things I didn't mean. And I yelled, and I shouldn't have done that. I didn't mean to scare you." The twins' eyes were wide, taking in what he was saying. Their forgiving, young hearts instantly took in his apology, and all was forgiven. They practically lunged at their daddy, and Nick was so relieved. He was going to fix it. He was going to show how much he adored and loved his children, and how he'd never hurt them again.

With one twin on either side of his head in a hug, Nick glanced over at Mally, who was laying on the bed with a hurt scowl on her face. He knew Mally wouldn't buy his apology so easily. It made her sick how awful he had been to Bailey and Aidan. She knew he didn't mean it, but he was the parent, and he was supposed to control his emotions in front of them.

Finally, it was too much. After breathing in heavily for a few moments, Mally shot up off the bed and stormed out the room. She stopped short of slamming the door, because she didn't want to upset the twins again. Mally felt tears stinging her eyes as she bolted into her room, shutting the door quietly behind her. She threw herself on her bed and cried; for herself, and for her siblings.

In the twins' room, Nick and Sara eyed each other, observing for themselves how upset Mally still was. Earning the twins' trust back was pretty easy, because they were so young and forgiving, but Nick and Mally had been through so much together. Never in her life had Nick ever yelled at her like that, and it took her to a bad place. Where had this angry father been her whole life, and why was he coming out now? Deep down, Mally knew it wasn't her fault, but she couldn't help but wonder if her quest for her mother had caused her father's angst and hurt.

Nick kissed his two youngest a few more times, and told them he needed to go talk to Mally. They were happy to go downstairs and play with their mother outside. Sara kissed her husband in support, because they both knew he needed to tell her about Carolyn.

Nick took a deep, cleansing breath as he stood outside his oldest daughter's door. He was actually nervous. He'd never really been nervous about talking to his own child, except when they had "the talk". Nick nervously knocked on the closed door, but didn't hear a response. He opened the door anyway and found Mally face down on her bed, clutching her pillow.

Nick sat on the edge of her bed and reached out, gently rubbing her back. Mally flinched and moved away.

"Don't touch me." She spat out from her pillow. Nick was hurt, but he pulled his hand back as she wished.

"Mal, I know you're upset with me, and I don't blame you. Snapping at my children was not acceptable, nor was it something I wanted to do. It just…happened." Nick tried to explain.

Mally didn't say anything, so Nick continued.

"I had a really really bad day, Mal, and I need to talk to you about that right now." He said seriously. Mally turned so she could see his face. Her father's eyes were serious and sad, and so she knew he wasn't kidding.

"Is it about my mother?" She croaked, her voice weak from the crying and emotion.

"Yes." He admitted. "I need you to sit up."

Mally obeyed, sitting cross-legged on her pillow now, and Nick moved to sit the same way opposite of her. Nick took her hands in his, lacing their fingers together, like he had when he asked for Mally's permission to marry Sara. Mally could tell this was serious. Her father took another deep breath.

"Sweetheart, the reason I was so upset was because today, I contacted the New York Ballet. One of the dancers remembered your mother from a few years back when she danced there."

Nick paused, not wanting to continue, but knew he had to. Mally deserved to hear from him what had happened to her mother. His daughter's eyes were wide with anticipation, and it broke his heart.

"And she…she told me that your mother died two years ago."

Nick paused, waiting to tell her about the overdose. She just needed to process the death first. Mally's eyes darted around on the bed for a few moments, taking in what her father had just told her. She was dead?

"Wh…wh…she's?"

"She's dead, sweetheart." Nick whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Mally's face was a splay of emotions for the next few seconds. She was upset, confused, hurt, cheated, and in grievance. Mally didn't know what to think. She didn't know this woman. Why was she so upset? From what her father had told her, Carolyn was a heinous bitch, and only cared about herself. She was a horrible mother to her only daughter, neglectful and uncaring. If she was such a horrible person, why did Mally care so much? Why were tears suddenly falling down her cheeks?

Mally felt her father reach over and take her into a warm embrace, whispering comforting words into her ear. All Mally could do was cry. She cried for the loss; for never knowing her mother; and for her father's loss of a past love. He must be devastated too.

"Daddy…" She choked.

"Shhhhh." Nick comforted his daughter. He moved to guide his daughter to lay down again on her bed. Mally complied with him, laying face down on her pillow again. Nick lay on his side next to her and gently stroked her back, trying to get her to calm down.

"It's okay to cry." He whispered, as her sobs started to die down a little. Mally just tried to concentrate on her father's comforting presence, and the lulling trance of his hand. The father she loved so much was back, but now she felt an even greater sense of loss. What did this mean?

Mally's breathing finally shallowed out after a few minutes, and Nick leaned down to kiss her head.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked her gently, not knowing if it was too soon.

"No." She said weakly, turning her head to face him. Nick gently tucked some wayward hair behind her ear and stroked her face.

"That's okay." He kissed her forehead. "We can talk when you're ready okay?"

Mally nodded, staring at her father's face with still confused eyes.

"Do you want to come downstairs and do something together? We could go play catch, just you and me."

"I think I just want to be alone for a while." Mally admitted.

"Okay. I'll go outside then. You can come out when you're ready." Nick kissed her one more time before getting up and quietly leaving the room. He joined his wife and the twins outside, who were playing tag in the yard.

When Nick came outside, Sara quickly took in his facial expressions. She could tell he'd told Mally, and it had gone okay, but he was still worried. He looked relieved, that finally he'd gotten this burden off his chest. Mally must have wanted to be alone, because she hadn't joined them. That, Sara could understand.

Nick walked to his wife and gave her a slow, sensual kiss.

"She just wants to be alone for a while." Nick told her.

"Yeah."

Nick wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders as they watched the twins scurry around the lawn. Aidan was 'it', and was trying to catch his twin sister, without much luck. Bailey was already athletic and quick like her father. Nick and Sara knew she'd be a tomboy, but she was still so loving.

Aidan giggled as he chased his sister. He wasn't quite as fast as Bailey, but he was already into sports too. Nick couldn't wait to show him all kinds of sports, like basketball, soccer, and football. He loved having a son, and he loved having two daughters.

Aidan spotted his father watching him and quickly ran to him. Nick thought he was going to get a hug, but the little boy pushed him and yelled, "You're it!"

Nick laughed and let out a silly groan, making the twins squeal, because they knew he'd be after them. They ran for their lives, giggling and squealing, as they tried to find a hiding spot. Sara watched, laughing, as the three bolted around the yard. Nick was letting them win, humoring them by accidentally running into things, and pretending not to see them when they covered their eyes (Their logic was, if they couldn't see Nick, he couldn't see them). Sara knew Nick was such a wonderful father, and she knew at the end of the day, everything would always be okay.

tbc


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hola, friends! Summer vacation's been treating me pretty nice so far. A lazy streak may hit me, though. You never know. I'll try to update rather quickly, but no promises. Thanks to everyone who's stayed with me so far! You rock! Please review…

"Mally, would you sit up?" Natalie reprimanded her friend as they tried to study in her bedroom, sounding strangely like her mother. Her friend Mally was currently laying on her bed, her chemistry book draped over her stomach, as she let her head hang off the edge, the blood rushing to it. Hey – it was better than doing chemistry.

When Mally let out a strange groan and still didn't move, Natalie swatted her forehead with her notebook, eliciting an 'ouch' from her friend. She finally sat up on Natalie's bed pretzel style, reluctantly pulling her humongous textbook onto her lap. Natalie was trying her best to tutor her friend in one of her personal best subjects, but she wasn't taking very well. She'd really tried at first, but now she was just getting frustrated again. Chemistry just wasn't for everyone, Natalie decided, but she'd probably major in it in college herself. She was getting frustrated also that she couldn't explain it clearly to her suffering friend.

"Mally, you need to concentrate. Quit fooling around, or you'll never pass." Natalie hated that she sounded like her parents, but now she could see where they were coming from when she was in one of her whiny moods, like Mally was now. She couldn't help but feel sorry for her friend, though. It had been a week now since she'd found out her birth mother was dead. She'd been pretty mopey and angry at school, and not much fun hanging out. Natalie knew both Nick and Sara had been talking constantly to her, but still trying to give Mally her space. They still made it clear, however, that she wouldn't been slacking off with her schoolwork. It wasn't mean – Mally was seeing a counselor, and she was still perfectly capable of A's and B's. Besides, being in school helped Mally take her mind off her mother. But she still hated chemistry and wanted to stab herself whenever she looked at her textbook.

"Okay, let's review." Natalie said matter-of-factly. "How do you find the atomic mass for Selenium?"

"I demand a new question." Mally said, in a partly frustrated, silly, but still depressed mood.

"No. Answer that one. You know how to do it. We just reviewed it ten minutes ago."

"I'll take obscure knowledge no one cares about for eight hundred, Alex!" She mocked her friend. Mally didn't know why all of a sudden she was so satirical and sarcastic. She truthfully just didn't know how else to act. There was so much pain inside of her right now. Pair that was adolescence and a now failing chemistry grade, and you had Mally right now.

"Alright, that's it." Natalie slammed her notebook down on her bed and stood up, finished. "I'm trying to help you, but you're not even trying!"

Mally felt deeply hurt. She knew she was being a pain in the ass, but she was hurting right now, and she expected her only friend in the world right now to be more understanding. Mally had trouble just coming out and saying her feelings to anyone, so when she was bothered, she tended to act up and be especially annoying. Sometimes Natalie just didn't understand her ways.

"Fine! If that's how you're going to be!" Mally jumped up with tears in her eyes. "I'll get someone else! Thanks for being a great friend!"

Natalie didn't say anything, merely opened her bedroom door for Mally to leave. Her friend stormed out and down the stairs. She walked home in tears. It was 5:30 in the afternoon.

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Nick was at the stove fixing supper in an irritated mood. He'd been at home on a stormy day with two cooped-up, cabin fevered three year olds, and he had been about ready to snap. Then on top of that, he received a notice from Mally's school that she was now failing chemistry. Nick hated to push her, especially after all that had happened recently, but he couldn't allow her to give up and get an F. Though he knew it would be painful for both of them, he'd have to have a serious talk with her and threaten consequences. At least she was over at the Grissoms' right now studying with Natalie.

The front door flew open and in walked a distressed Mally. Nick hated that the first thought in his mind was 'oh, god, what's happened NOW'. He just didn't feel like he could take much more drama in his life. Not that what Mally was feeling wasn't important, but her stress had in turn given him more stress. She plopped herself down at the breakfast bar across from where Nick was stirring some noodles, and immediately clunked her head down on the surface, letting out a frustrated moan.

"Tough day, baby?" Nick asked in a concerned voice. But Mally knew that tone all too well. It meant that he knew something was going on with her. He'd found something out that would cause her to have a tough day, and he was waiting for her to explain it to him.

"Daddy, not now. Please." She begged him, her tone whiny and tired.

"Then when would be a good time, Mally? After I let you fail your chemistry class?" He put down the wooden spoon and leaned on the counter with both hands, a serious expression on his face. Mally finally got the guts to look up at him, her chin resting on her forearm. She gave him her best 'feel sorry for me' expression, knowing it wouldn't work, but it was worth the try every time.

"I got a notice from your school today. Fifty six percent? That's unacceptable and you know it."

"Daddy, I'm trying. I really am." Her voice was laced with emotion, but no tears appeared. If he knew anything about his daughter, Nick knew that her tears were genuine. And the absence of them at this moment further confirmed that she'd completely shut down, and that she really wasn't trying. He crossed his arms before continuing.

"You were going to help sessions, Mal, and your grade was improving. Natalie's been helping out, but Gil and Catherine tell me you're not cooperative with her, and you're not doing the work."

"They ratted me out?" Mally protested, and then realized she'd just confirmed her father's suspicions. "Daddy, I had been trying, but I'm no good at it, so yeah, sorry. I gave up after almost an entire school year of trying. I'm so going to hell."

"Language, Mally." Nick reprimanded her. "No one is good at everything, including you and me, but that doesn't mean you can just give up. I thought I raised you better than to just stop trying." He tried to guilt trip her.

"I know you're still upset about your mother, but that doesn't mean you can neglect your schoolwork."

"I'm getting A's and B's in everything else." Mally pointed out.

"I'm aware of that, and I'm proud of you, but an F is not okay. There is no way you can try at something and completely fail, Mally. We've never had to have rules about grades before, but I think I'm gonna have to start making them."

"Dad! Why? I'm trying! I really am!"

Nick let out a loud sigh, hating that it was coming to this. He hoped this wouldn't push her farther away, but he couldn't sit back and let her fail. They'd figure out some other way to help her.

"I was willing to let one C slip out, but then it turned into a D, and now it's an F. Your mom thought I should've done something before now, but I wanted to give you time, and I could see you were trying. But, Mal, you've given up. We will get you more help if you will take it."

Mally just stared at the counter, listening to her father's lecture. She'd always known grades were important to him, and she'd always gotten good grades, except for this one class. She didn't see why one bad grade was such a big deal. Mally just kept digging deeper and deeper into her hole of chemistry, until now that it was almost too late.

"Sweetheart, if you don't pull your grade back up to passing in the next week, I'll have no choice but to ground you until it is."

"You can't ground me because of my grades!" She stood up from the stool angrily, glaring at Nick.

"I will if I think you need it. I will not stand here and watch you put forth no effort. Sometimes life is hard, and you have to learn not to just give up."

Mally was crying now as she scowled at her father. She couldn't believe he was trying to do this to her. He didn't know what it felt like to fail at something. To feel completely worthless by merely looking at a chemistry book. It's not like she didn't try. She did, and it didn't help. Who wouldn't give up after six months of failure? Mally felt her anger boil up, and she was seething.

"I hate living here!" She screaming at him. Nick willed himself to stay calm. Luckily, the twins were outside playing on the swingset and didn't hear. "I hate being in this family, and I can't wait until college!"

Mally kept crying as she ran for the stairs, upset beyond words. She couldn't understand how her father could be so cold and misunderstanding. She'd just found out her birth mother was dead, and the household climate had been less than chipper. How could he expect her to work at a time like this? And she was getting all A's and B's in her other classes. Who cares about one F?

Nick shook his head, telling himself that she was just upset. She loved being in this family. She loved him, Sara, and the twins with all her heart, but she was just going through a tough time. Part of his job as a parent was to make sure she kept on track, even when times were rough. She couldn't learn that when she's feeling a little down and life gets hard, that she can just quit. He didn't quit when Carolyn left him, or when he found out she was dead. But Mally was just a kid. He hoped he wasn't being too hard on her. In his heart, he felt this way was right.

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Natalie Grissom walked a little solemnly down the stairs of her home to where her parents were finishing the dishes before heading to work. She'd told them all about the incident with Mally, and they knew Nick was going to start coming down hard on his daughter. Natalie felt bad for her, but she'd never seen her friend just give up. It really bummed her out that Mally was having so much trouble, but she didn't know how to help.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Catherine asked her daughter, sweeping back a piece of fallen hair behind her shoulder lovingly.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll just engross myself in my homework like I always do, and everything will be peachy." She saw the disapproving look on her parents' faces. "Just kidding. I'll probably call her later to see how she's doing."

"Good girl." Catherine kissed her head.

"Hey, did you get the mail in today?" Natalie asked her parents.

"I threw it on the counter, honey." Gil told his daughter as he put on his jacket. It was mostly bills these days, and wasn't in the mood to deal with them today. Natalie rushed to the pile, always on the lookout for a letter from Stanford. She sifted through the pile and found it.

"Stanford!" She yelled, immediately ripping at the official envelope, her hands trembling. Natalie quickly skimmed the page, looking for any key words. Finally, she saw it.

"We are pleased to inform you that you've been accepted into the incoming freshman class at Stanford University!"

Natalie started jumping up and down repeatedly, screeching and squealing. Her parents let out audible proud gasps, and pulled together for a family hug.

"Honey, that's great!"

"That's wonderful! We're so proud of you." Natalie heard them say, and she couldn't be happier. She relished in the feel of her parents' arms around her, and their kisses on her head. Natalie actually started crying at the joy of it all. She was so excited at the prospect of college, and from getting out of Las Vegas. Not that she didn't love her parents, but she was ready to get out. The fact that her parents were genuinely proud and happy for her filled Natalie with a warm, fuzzy feeling she hadn't felt for a while.

Gil finally pulled away, a little teary eyed.

"Now how are we gonna pay for it?" He laughed a little, patting Natalie on the back. Catherine gave him a knowing smile. They'd gotten Lindsey through college, and Natalie was thankfully their last kid.

"You could sell one of your kidneys on the black market." Catherine suggested to her husband, gently stroking her back.

"Or you could put some of your insect collection up on ebay." Natalie joked, knowing how important his bugs were to her father.

"Very funny." He gave Natalie another hug and kiss before clearing his throat. "Alright, we've gotta get to work, sweetheart, but we're so proud of you."

"Thank you, daddy!" She told him, and kissed her mother again. As her parents left, she allowed herself a little victory dance. Woo hoo!

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The phone rang in the Stokes residence, but Mally didn't really care for once. She sat in her room on her bed, her chemistry book open, fuzzily taking in the words through tear-stained eyes. Dinner had been decidedly solemn, as it had been the last week. Mally went straight to her room afterwards and forced herself to crack the books. She still did care what her parents thought of her, and it bugged her that her dad was so concerned with her academics to threaten grounding her. Even if she didn't agree, Mally still wanted to make her father proud.

Mally heard a knock on her door, and Sara peeked her head in.

"Phone's for you. It's Natalie." She told her stepdaughter. Sara smiled sympathetically at Mally as she passed the cordless to her. Mally sighed and accepted, not really in the mood to talk.

"Hello?" She answered glumly, flipping the pages of her books around mindlessly.

"Mally, guess what?" An excited Natalie bubbled.

"What?" She was just as glum.

"I got into Stanford!" She squealed, dancing around in celebration.

"Congratulations." Mally told her friend, trying to sound upbeat, but Natalie didn't feel the love.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't, Natalie. Maybe the fact that you snapped at me, and when I got home, I was in deep shit."

Natalie's eyebrows shot up in surprise and defense. They had fights sometimes, but all was forgiven almost instantly with them.

"I'm sorry, Mally. I didn't mean to upset you. But I was really trying to help you, and you didn't want to work. I have a lot of homework to do myself."

"Yeah, well you must have ratted me out to your parents, because they told my dad I was slacking off! And now my dad's threatening to ground me if I don't bring my grade up!"

"Mal, I didn't say anything, honestly!" Natalie said defensively. "They must have overheard. I would never do that to you! I'm sorry you're in trouble, but it's not my fault."

Mally huffed on the other end, not wanting to accept the explanation, but knowing it was probably the truth. She just wanted someone to blame for all this pain that was going on in her life. That meant that she was still in control, and it was other people who were causing all this grief.

"I'm sorry." Mally finally said, and then burst out in tears, putting her hand over her eyes. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

Natalie listened to her friend cry, not knowing what to say. She didn't know what it felt like to fail. Natalie had always succeeded at everything she tried. She had just been accepted to Stanford, for crying out loud.

"It's okay, Mally. I would be frustrated too." She said softly, sitting on her own bed and waiting for her friend to calm down. "What exactly did your dad say?"

"He's giving me a week to pull a passing grade, and then I'm grounded until I pull it up." She reported shamefully. Mally was a senior. She was almost eighteen years old. She shouldn't have to put up with being grounded at this age.

"That sucks." Natalie agreed. "But, Mal, if you don't pass chem, you'll have to take it again at summer school to get your diploma."

Mally's heart dropped. She hadn't even thought about this class being a requirement for graduation. Mally had to pass this class to get her diploma. This was her last semester of high school, so there was no next year. It was a new situation for her, being in danger of failing a class. Mally imagined the embarrassment of having to take summer school, and not being able to graduate with her friends. Suddenly, she was determined. Determined to get that grade up one way or another. Mally truly believed she wasn't capable of learning the material of that class. How the hell was she going to pull this off? Mally felt sick inside as she thought of the possibilities.

"Mally, I'll still help you. But I can't help you unless you're willing to work."

"I know." She sobbed, feeling like an annoying little kid.

"So are you going to work?"

Mally seethed in a few deep breaths, hating how righteous her friend was sounding right now. Little Miss Stanford taking pity on her shit for brains friend.

"You know, thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass." Mally said, and hung up the phone. Natalie called 'hello' a few times into the phone, not believing her friend would actually hang up on her. Especially when she was trying to be nice. She couldn't help it if she was smart. Damn smart, at that.

Mally felt a little high and mighty after refusing Natalie's offer. She didn't know why she had, but Mally felt like finding some other way. Natalie was her friend, though she might be a little angry right now, not her tutor. Mally would find someone else. Some other method. She lay down on her bed and started plotting exactly how she was going to pass this damn chemistry class.


	11. Chapter 11

Nick Stokes knocked on his oldest daughter's bedroom door, holding a note from her school in one hand, puzzled. He heard a reply from within, so he opened the door to find Mally laying on her bed, taking notes on a novel she was reading for English class. She looked up at her father and immediately, her face took on a confused demeanor.

"What?" She asked strangely. He had one of those weird, unreadable looks on his face that he rarely showed.

"Mal, I got another letter from your school." He waved said document around a little, studying his daughter. "It says you've already brought your chemistry grade up to a C."

Mally smiled up at her dad. He didn't think she could do it, but she did. She brought her grade up far past his expectations.

Nick breathed out incredulously, still with a shocked look on his face.

"Mal, I've got to hand it to you." Nick said, sitting next to her on the bed. "I didn't think you'd be able to pull it up this quick, but in one week you raised it two letter grades? Sweetheart, I'm so proud of you. I knew you could do it."

Nick ruffled her hair and planted a proud kiss on her head. Mally relished in his affection and approval, but felt her stomach drop in a pang of guilt.

"You've been up here since school. You wanna take a break? Go throw the ball around?" Nick suggested. If she'd been working this hard, she deserved a break. Today, he was feeling so much better about life because his daughter was finally doing okay again. The meds were starting to kick in, and from his conversations with her therapist, things were moving along well. With the news of her quickly improving chemistry grade, Mally seemed to be getting her life back in gear. In turn, now he could too. As a parent, when one of his children was hurting, it made him hurt too. One of those strange things being a father does to you.

"Nah. Maybe later. I really want to finish off _The Winter of Our Discontent_." Mally explained. In reality, reading the book was torture because the theme was all about honesty, integrity, and hard work. She felt that John Steinbeck was trying to make her go crazy, and he kept taunting at her, telling her to stop what she was doing. But she couldn't – she had to pass this class. And as long as she was careful, no one would ever find out.

"Good book." Nick agreed, thumbing through one of her notebooks. "It has good messages, don't you think? Hard work really does pay off." Nick gently swatted her with the notebook, in a cheery mood. He didn't know that right now, he was making his daughter feel guiltier than ever. Mally smiled and avoided his eyes. Those eyes that bore into her and seemed to know everything; even the smallest fib, they'd catch her knowingly and set her straight.

"Alright. I'm going to go start dinner. Sara should be home soon. Would you mind watching the twins for a while so I don't burn the ground beef?" Nick got up, scratching at his neck and stretching.

"No problem. I'll be down in a minute."

Her father left the room and she smacked herself on her forehead with _The Winter of Our Discontent_. Damn book.

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Natalie Grissom opened her locker at the end of a busy school day. Her mono was now long gone, but a school day could still be rough. Right now, she just wanted to head home and take a nap, and not think about anything in the world. Some freshman girls walked by, giggling and laughing, so carefree and light. Natalie sometimes wished she was still an underclassman. They didn't have to worry about college and grades that seriously yet. They had a couple more years to goof around. Natalie had gotten into Stanford, but she still had to keep her grades up. They could always decline her if they thought she was slacking off.

The senior apathetically began exchanging a few books from her backpack with some other heavy texts in her locker when she stumbled upon something. Her chemistry folder. It was missing! Natalie worriedly searched through every crevice of her backpack and locker, frantically trying to find it, but it was nowhere to be found. She had homework to do that night, and though she knew she could do it tomorrow morning before class with her eyes closed, it still wasn't right. She'd left it right there in her locker. It was there two periods ago when she was at her locker last. Where would it be? The only other person who knew her combination was her best friend Mally. Why would Mally want to borrow her…oh no.

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Mally arrived at home after another exhausting day at high school. Sara was home today, so she could just disappear to her room and her mother wouldn't say anything. Mally knew that Sara was still uneasy about prying into her life. She still left that to her dad. Mally put on a perky face, as always, being a little chatty with her and the twins. Truthfully, she was feeling a little better these days, besides what she'd been forced to do for chemistry class.

After the small talk ended, Sara turned serious, as they sat on the couch, watching the twins play happily on the floor.

"Your dad's so proud of you." Sara looked straight at her stepdaughter, but she looked at the ground. She didn't know Mally like Nick did, but she never made eye contact when she was ashamed, lying, or when something was bothering her. "You pulled your grade up in no time. Now you can relax a little, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess." She answered simply. The only thing Mally couldn't do right now was relax. Every minute she was on edge, wondering what other people knew, thought, and suspected. She must look like a deer in headlights 24/7.

"Well, I need to get to my homework." Mally announced before further questions, getting up quickly from the couch.

"Alright, dinner will be in about an hour."

Sara watched her stepdaughter climb the stairs. There was just not something right with that girl. She didn't know what, but something was up. Sara didn't think it was about her mother, the family, or her friends. That left school. Her chemistry grade was fine now, so what was she worried about? Sara decided she needed to talk to Nick when he got home from work.

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"Do it again, daddy!" Aidan requested, watching the scene before him in awe. Nick had decided to show the twins a little science experiment after dinner involving static electricity. On a paper plate, he had sprinkled salt and pepper generously.

"Okay, but this is the last time." Nick told his son. This was the fifth time they were doing this. He delighted in the way the twins reacted to it every time, though. It never got old to see their eyes light up in wonder and awe. They thought their daddy was doing magic.

Taking the comb in his hand again, he ran it through Aidan's shaggy locks vigorously for about ten seconds. Then, he handed the comb to his son. With a huge smile of anticipation on his face, he held the comb over the salt and pepper. Like magic, the pepper sprung up and attached itself to the comb.

Aidan and Bailey let out genuinely astonished little-kid cackles and couldn't stop. Nick grinned widely, loving that they both seemed to like science from an early age.

"That's so cool!" Bailey exclaimed. "Do it one more time, daddy! On me!" She pleaded with the best puppy-dog eyes her tired body could muster up.

"No, that's enough for tonight." Nick told them, picking Bailey up from the breakfast stool and setting her on the floor. "It's time for you two to go to bed."

They both whined, further convincing him of their worn out state, as Nick picked up Aidan, setting him on his hip. He took Bailey's hand in his, and started to lead them to the stairs. For once, Bailey didn't argue with him, just walked along with him. It took over a minute, but the trio eventually climbed the stairs.

Sara had decided a while ago to go rest a while in her room after a long day with the twins. She of course loved them, but two three year olds was a handful for anyone. Sara smiled as she saw Nick with Aidan in his arms, and Bailey by the hand. The first time mother couldn't dream up a more perfect father. He was completely in love with all three of his children, and would do absolutely anything for them. His tenderness was incredibly endearing to her, and sexy at the same time.

After helping the twins get into their jammies and brush their teeth (and gave mommy a goodnight kiss), Nick settled down on Aidan's bed with one child on either side of him. He let each of them pick out a book to read each night, and tonight Aidan had chosen _Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See?_

Nick knew Aidan loved this book because he could pretend he was reading. His son had long since memorized how the words went along with each page, and he proudly 'read' the book to his father and sister. (A/N: Tee hee. This is actually what I did as a little kid – I first believed I could read after memorizing this book. Giggle giggle)

"Bwown bear, bwown bear, what do you see? I see a wed bird wooking at me!"

Nick smiled and praised his son when he was finished. He and Sara both loved reading as kids, and hoped that Aidan would continue with his love also. Bailey loved to be read to, but hadn't really tried 'reading' like her brother had. She still had plenty of time, though.

Nick read one story from _The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales_, Bailey's favorite book at the moment. She always begged for more, so Nick was always putting his foot down, gently of course. _Stinky Cheese Man_ was not a book he could easily put down himself. He'd been guilty of stealing it from the kids and finishing it in bed the first time they'd started it. Hey, he was a guy.

To make things easier, he threw Bailey over his shoulder fireman style, which he knew would always make her squeal and fix whatever she was upset about. He made a monstery roar as he gently body slammed her onto her bed, finishing with a soft kiss to her forehead. Bailey was tucked in without further ado, and soundly hugged and kissed once again.

Nick went back to his son's bed and squatted down next to him, gently stroking back his hair from his forehead.

"Goodnight, son. I love you." He kissed Aidan's forehead sweetly and began to get up, but his son's tiny voice stopped him.

"Daddy?"

"Yep, little man?" He knelt down again and brought his ear closer when his son signaled, obviously wanting to ask a very important, secret question.

"When's Baiwey gonna wead wike me?" He asked his father, concerned. Anyone who wasn't around the little boy every day may not have been able to understand what he said, but Nick knew his toddler lisp.

"Well, son, all kids learn to read at different times. You just got a jump start. Bailey will read soon, we've just gotta give her some time, okay bud?" Nick reassured his ever-concerned son.

"Otay daddy." He whispered, and reached his pudgy arms up for a hug. Nick embraced him warmly one last time and kissed Aidan on the lips. Little kid kisses were like his air. Nowadays, he couldn't live without them.

Nick left the twins' door slightly ajar, because they were both still afraid of the dark, making his way into the master bedroom. As he passed Mally's door, he heard silence and figured she was busy studying once again, or listening to her iPod. He closed the door and his eyes fell upon his beautiful wife, dressed in short pj bottoms and a simple white tank top. Though she was always gorgeous, Nick especially appreciated Sara in this way. No make up, no fancy clothes, just Sara.

He joined her under the covers, immediately running a warm hand under the fabric of her tank top. They kissed tenderly for several moments, until Sara pulled away. Nick kissed her once more on the tip of her nose, and looked at her delicate face. She looked concerned, which wasn't that much out of the realm of drama that had endowed this household lately.

"You okay, baby?" He asked quietly, stroking her jawline with his finger tenderly.

"I'm just concerned about Mally still." She confessed. Nick rolled onto his back and put one arm behind his head, rubbing his face exhaustedly with his other.

"I know it's been rough lately, Sar, but I think she's really turning a corner." Nick started, not letting his wife finish.

"I don't think she's telling us everything." She blurted, studying Nick's face carefully. Sara wasn't sure how he was going to take her concerns. Nick turned his head to see a serious-looking Sara.

"What do you mean?"

"Pulling her grade up by two letter grades in one week, Nick? That's almost impossible."

"I talked to her teacher about that. She allowed Mally to correct her work from the last two weeks, and she's been doing extra credit."

"Nick, you know I love Mally like my own, but I…"

She was cut off.

"But what, Sara? What are you trying to say?"

"I don't know, Nick!" Sara almost snapped. "Geez! I can't bring up any concerns?"

"You were going to accuse my daughter of cheating."

"_Your _daughter? What happened to the team approach?"

"Let's not discuss this right now, Sar." Nick wanted this conversation to end. One thing he missed about being a single parent was his ability to make decisions by himself. Sara wanted what was best for Mally, too, but she didn't know all her intricacies like he did.

Sara stared at her husband incredulously. She couldn't believe he was blowing her off. His daughter, one of the most important people in his life, and he was dismissing it. Unbelievable.

"Fine. Goodnight, Nicholas." Sara settled back under the covers, facing away from her husband intentionally. Nick rolled over the other way and sighed, looking at the clock. It was only 8:30. He decided to get out of bed and finish off some case work he'd brought home. He didn't need his wife second-guessing him and Mally right now.

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Mally placed her homework paper back in her own chemistry folder solemnly. It never got any easier. But she couldn't fail this class. She looked over Natalie's paper with a 98 written at the top of it. The AP class moved faster than the regular one. They had the same assignments, but did the work faster and earlier in the year.

The ashamed seventeen year old put Natalie's paper back in the folder she'd taken from her locker. She knew that her friend pretty much always finished her chem assignments at school during study hall, so it was safe to assume that she'd never realize Mally was 'borrowing' her papers. Mally was careful and smart about everything. She would nonchalantly ask Natalie about her assignments, and always knew when she would need her papers to study for a test or quiz. It was almost foolproof. Almost.

The 'what-ifs' ran through her head constantly. What if her teacher caught her? What if Natalie caught her? What would her father think?

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A couple blocks away, Natalie Grissom was in a quandary. Mally wouldn't cheat, would she? She knew better than that! Natalie didn't even want to think about what kind of trouble her friend would be in. Not to mention herself! What would the school do if they found out Mally was using her papers? Natalie had no idea it was going on until now, but would the principal care? She could lose her admittance to Stanford. Mally wouldn't do that to her, would she?

Natalie had known Mally practically all her life. She'd seen her friend pretty desperate before. Like the time she spilled grape juice all over Mrs. Parker's white couch and ran away without turning herself in. Her father had been furious because he had to hunt her down for hours.

But desperate enough to CHEAT? CHEAT? Mally Stokes? Despite some of the mischievous things she'd done over the years, Mally was one of the most well-behaved, good-hearted kids Natalie knew. This was a serious accusation, but she knew she had to tell someone. She didn't want to be responsible for getting Mally in trouble, but cheating was inherently wrong. Natalie knew it, and she was sure Mally knew this too.

In the early morning hours that day, Natalie made the decision. Tomorrow, she would go to Mally's teacher.

A/N: I know a lot of you didn't want Mally to stoop this low, but that's how I felt like writing her character. Life really sucks sometimes, ya know, and we all make mistakes. I promise I'll make it all better by the end. Hey, two chapters in two days! Woo hoo! Please review…


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey! I decided to make a little bit of a change in the last chapter to make this chapter work, so you might want to go back and read ch. 11 again. I only changed a few parts, but it's very important to make this chapter work. Please enjoy and review!

Sara woke up to the feeling of soft, tender kisses on her eyelids and then her lips. That could only mean one thing, she hoped. Nick had gotten over whatever was up his ass last night. It had taken a while for Sara to get to sleep last night after Nick left the room. When she thought about it, Sara had no reason to accuse Mally of cheating. She was really a good kid, with only a few major slip ups over the years. Sara felt almost dirty that she'd confessed to Nick what she was thinking. It was his daughter; his flesh a blood; and his wife was accusing her of awful things. Sara never knew what was crossing the line with raising Mally. She knew Nick encouraged her to be active in Mally's upbringing, but she'd always felt uncomfortable with discipline. Over the years, she'd learned to just leave it to Nick to avoid any weird feelings.

"Good morning, baby." Nick whispered huskily as he kissed her more deeply, trying his best to be thorough and communicate an apology. "Sorry about last night." He told her as he pulled back and stared into her impossibly beautiful eyes.

"It's okay. It was a tough thing to hear, and I owe you an apology too."

Nick smiled a little, glad that their relationship was strong enough to admit both were wrong. Nick knew he'd gotten a bit too defensive, and Sara may have jumped to conclusions.

"But you're right. I need to check up on her." Nick admitted, draping his arm around her and laying his head next to hers on the pillow. "It's odd that all of a sudden she just gets it."

"But she's a smart girl." Sara pointed out as she stroked his forearm lovingly. She'd never get tired of the feeling of his arms around her, and never wanted to mess it up. Sara couldn't stand it when they fought.

"Yeah, but not at chemistry." He reminded her, rubbing his eyes a little bit. It amazed him the amount he loved science and excelled at it, and that Mally hated it with a passion. "I'll talk to her after school."

"Is it time for her to get up yet?"

"No, we've got some time." Nick said huskily, and leaned back over for another passionate kiss. No matter what, it seemed, they could always make it better.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Natalie Grissom nervously tapped on the door of Mrs. Flaherty's classroom. The middle-aged woman cheerily greeted the girl and told her to come in. It was just before lunchtime, but Natalie didn't feel like eating anything. Mrs. Flaherty was a little confused because she'd never had the girl as a student, but her classroom was open to all students.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked warmly, smiling at the senior. Natalie had heard good things about Mrs. Flaherty, and was disappointed she'd never had her as a teacher. She couldn't believe Mally had tried to pull the wool over this poor woman's eyes.

"Yeah…" She stammered, nervously grasping at her backpack as she walked closer, "My name's Natalie Grissom and I'm a friend of Mally Stokes."

The woman's face seemed to brighten up at the mention of Mally. Natalie knew that she was liked by all her teachers, and they trusted her inherently. It made her sick how her friend could do something so uncharacteristic and take advantage of her and her teachers. She hated to do this to her friend, but Mally had crossed the line when she took her papers.

"Yes, she's one of my students."

"I came here…I mean, I needed to tell you something."

Mrs. Flaherty could tell the young girl was uncomfortable and perhaps needed to share something important, but difficult to voice.

"Why don't you come sit down over here for a minute." She patted Natalie on the shoulder and led her over to one of the tables that made up her classroom. She sat across from the senior and allowed her some time to calm down.

"You need to tell me something about Mally?"

Natalie nodded, and felt tears stinging at her eyes. She knew this would get Mally in major trouble at both school and home, but it was the right thing to do. Well, at least she thought it was the right thing to do. Her parents always emphasized honesty, but they also emphasized friendship and trust. Should she turn her friend in? Natalie was having doubts. But no – Mally had taken her homework without permission and copied it.

"I'm in the AP chemistry class, so we're moving faster, you know?" Natalie started, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. "And Mally's been having a lot of trouble lately with school and at home, so I think she was feeling really overwhelmed. Yesterday, I noticed that my chem. folder was gone. Mally took it, and I think she used it."

"Used it in what way?" Mrs. Flaherty thought she knew, but Mally was a pretty trustworthy, honest kid. She felt so bad that Mally wasn't getting the material, but she sure did try hard at the beginning anyway. She'd also had numerous conversations with Mally's father, who was also very concerned about her progress. She had so much support, but was still having so much difficulty. Mrs. Flaherty knew vaguely of Mally's home life and the recent drama with her birth mother.

Natalie took a few painful breaths in before she continued with the news she wished she didn't have to deliver.

"I think she used it to copy."

Natalie could tell Mrs. Flaherty looked really uncomfortable. Yeah, Mally wasn't the type of kid you'd expect this sort of behavior from, but she'd been through a lot in the last few months. Natalie wasn't excusing it, but she could see an explanation for Mally's change. She kept reminding herself that this was going to help Mally eventually. She'd probably hate her for a while, but she had to know cheating wasn't okay.

"Really?" She asked in a serious tone, changing her sitting position a little. "Do you have any proof?"

Natalie looked down at her backpack. She brought her chemistry folder with her with all her assignments, and got it out.

"We could compare them." She offered meekly. Mrs. Flaherty looked like she really didn't want to find out, but knew she had to. She really hated catching kids being dishonest, but she couldn't have kids cheating. Reluctantly, she retrieved a few of Mally's latest assignments that hadn't yet been graded. Natalie found the same assignment pages in her folder and set them on the table in front of them. Sure enough, answer for answer, they matched.

"Okay." Mrs. Flaherty sighed sympathetically. She knew she'd have to inform the principal. "Well, I'm going to have to inform Mr. Jenkins about this right away. Does Mally know you found out?"

"No. I just found out yesterday."

"Alright. Well, it will all be confidential. She won't have to know it was you that brought the situation to our attention. I'm sorry this happened, but thank you for coming to me. It'll be painful right now, but I think you know it'll help Mally in the long run because you came to me today."

Natalie cried, trying to convince herself still that this was right. If it was the right thing to do, why did it feel so wrong? She was betraying her friend, but Mally had betrayed her trust first. It was like she was about to be pushed off a cliff and fall to her death. Mrs. Flaherty reached out and patted her hand gently for a few moments in comfort.

"I know this must be very hard for you to do." She acknowledged. "You feel like you're ruining her life, but you aren't. Sure, she'll be in trouble, but she needs to know this won't be tolerated. How long have you known Mally?" Mrs. Flaherty decided to change the subject a little, when her words didn't seem to be helping. She was sure Natalie had already thought about this endlessly in her head already.

"Since we were babies." Natalie sniffled, "Our parents work together."

"So you're pretty tight-knit, huh?" She acknowledged, not really knowing how to handle this. But she was the adult, and teenagers seemed to think they had some sort of magic wisdom with problems like this. It was very hard for her, but knew it must be twice as painful for Natalie. "So, she'll have a whole family to help get her back on track, okay? You just have to think about it like that. You all love her, and you'll get her through this."

Natalie nodded, trying to make it okay in her head, appreciating the teacher's words. Mrs. Flaherty glanced at her watch. It was Natalie's lunchtime, but also hers.

"Well, you need to get off to lunch, young lady, to make you feel better. You come see me if you want to talk some more." The woman got up and gently led the distraught teen towards the door.

"But I normally eat lunch with her."

Well, that complicated things. She'd just ratted her friend out, and now she had to go eat lunch like nothing had happened. Mrs. Flaherty sighed and thought some more. This could be a tough one.

"Well, you can handle it one of two ways. You can try to pretend like nothing's happened, which she may notice you're acting differently. Or, you can give her the heads up and tell her you found out what she's doing. You don't have to say anything about turning her in, but you could bring it up."

Natalie seemed to understand that Mrs. Flaherty was hinting towards the latter choice. Acting like nothing happened seemed dishonest in itself.

"Okay. Thanks, Mrs. Flaherty."

"Anytime, Natalie. Thanks again." She gave the student a farewell pat on the back, hoping everything would work out. High school drama could be quite something else.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Natalie quickly worked her way through the lunch line a few minutes later. Most of the kids had already gotten lunch, so there was no wait. She kept her eyes straight ahead as she walked nervously towards the table she normally sat at. Mally was sitting there eating while thoughtfully looking through some notes on the table. As Natalie came closer, she could see they were chemistry notes.

"Hey, Natalie." She smiled, glancing up.

"Hi." Natalie took off her backpack and nervously sit down. She knew she should probably tell Mally what was going on, but she was afraid her friend would get angry. "What are you doing?"

"Just looking over my chem. notes. I have a quiz later today." Mally informed her, keeping her eyes glues to the complicated subject matter. Natalie figured in her mind she had no idea what any of it meant. She was just covering.

It was quiet for a few moments as Natalie unwrapped her hamburger and took her first bite.

"I know how to find the atomic mass of selenium!" Mally proudly announced, her eyes sparkling at her friend. Natalie's heart dropped. She knew that look from tutoring other students. It was the look of getting it. Actually getting it for the first time. Mally knew how to find the atomic mass of selenium.

"Atomic number 34. Atomic mass 78.96amu. Found in solar cells and photocopiers." Mally recited proudly.

"Very good!" Natalie praised her.

"And I know all the other elements now too."

"Really?" She asked curiously. "Okay. How about Einsteinium?"

After a few moments of thought, Mally answered.

"Atomic number 99. Atomic mass 252amu. Radioactive named after the scientist."

Natalie nodded in agreement.

"Titanium."

"Symbol 'Ti'. Atomic number 22. Atomic mass 47.90amu."

Natalie was amazed. She really did know her stuff. Totally random choosing of elements, and she knew all of it.

"Wow, Mal. I've gotta hand it to you. You really know your stuff." Natalie admitted, feeling a little sick to her stomach. Had she made a mistake? Had Mally really turned her chemistry around? Had she been wrong about Mally cheating?

"Mal, I have to ask you a question." Natalie began, wishing she didn't have to bring this up, but Mally was her best friend.

Mally's heart dropped. She knew. She thought she knew, but she didn't understand. Her eyes shot up at her best friend in defense. Mally would love to hear what she had to say.

"What?" She asked shortly.

"I, um. I noticed yesterday that my chemistry folder wasn't in my locker at the end of the day. Do you know where it was?" She started off, not accusing of anything yet. Natalie's face felt flushed all of a sudden and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Yes, I do happen to know where it was." Was all Mally said.

"Okay. Why did you have it?"

"I needed to borrow it."

"So it's true then? You cheated? You copied my papers?" Natalie felt strangely relieved but worked up at the same time. It was out in the open now, but it still felt awful to find out her friend was cheating off her.

"Is that what you think I did?" Mally snapped, her voice raising. "You think I cheated? What kind of friend are you, Natalie? I thought you knew me!"

"You took my papers without permission and used then to do your own assignments! That's called cheating, Mal, and you know it!"

"Well, yeah, I admit I shouldn't have probably taken your papers without your permission, but I wasn't cheating!"

"What are you talking about?" Both their tempers were flaring and seething. They were trying to keep it down, but they were sure the people around them probably heard their argument.

"The papers I looked at I'd already turned in! I was using them to help another girl in my class because she's having more trouble than I am! I thought that if I tried to help someone else, it might click for me, and it did!"

Natalie's heart dropped once again. She hadn't cheated? And she accused her friend before asking her? Natalie had trouble speaking and knowing what to say.

"But…you…"

"Thanks a lot, Natalie." Mally angrily got up from her chair and slammed it into the table, picking up her tray and backpack. "Great to know who your true friends are!"

Natalie felt dozens of eyes on her as she stared at the chair Mally had just stormed out of. She didn't know what to think. She'd been so sure that Mally had been cheating, and from Mally told her, she was wrong. Dead wrong. And she hadn't even gone to her first before turning her in. Mally was right – what kind of friend would do that. Natalie felt more awful than she ever had before in her life. She put her head in her hands and started crying right in the middle of the lunch room.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

"Why do you need me to come in?" A concerned Sara Stokes asked on the phone at her home, Bailey and Aidan sitting at the table eating lunch.

"We think that Mally may have been using another's students work to complete her assignments for her chemistry class." The principal of Las Vegas High School informed the concerned mother.

Sara felt her heart skip a beat. She had been right. Her instincts were right on, but she couldn't feel any sorrier that she'd been correct. Usually at work when she had a hunch, she ran with it and was proven right ninety percent of the time, but this time she didn't want it to be true.

"Umm…okay. I've got two young children here with me and my husband's at work, so…"

"You're welcome to bring them with you. This is pretty serious, so we need you here as soon as possible."

"Is Mally there with you?

"No. We're about to call her down, but I thought having the school and parent front both here for support, it may go better."

"I agree. I'll call my husband and see if he can join us." Sara told him, glancing over at the twins. They wouldn't be too happy since she'd promised them they would go to the park after lunch. After saying goodbyes, Sara hung up the phone and immediately dialed Nick's cell phone. He was at a crime scene right now, which Sara knew was hard to know when he'd ever get away. But Sara knew that if a call involved any of his children, he'd drop everything and be there in minutes.

Sara heard the phone ring, but no answer. He was probably at a really vital point in the investigation, and figured whatever Sara was calling about could wait at least a few minutes. Sara left a message on his voice mail, saying that they needed both of them at Mally's school. She didn't go into why just yet, but Sara knew he'd call back and head over right away.

The worried mother quickly got the twins to finish up and explained they were going on a special trip and that they'd get to see inside where Mally went to school. After a little groaning about no park, the twins seemed receptive to the idea of seeing their big sister's school. Sara didn't go into why they'd be there. They both looked up to Mally so much, and she didn't want to ruin that perception. Mally really was a good kid, but she'd just messed up. Really bad. And though Sara wasn't her real mother, she worried about Mally like she was, and right now she was angry with her daughter. But she felt that pang of love and concern that Nick talked about so much before Sara had children. She hadn't understood then, but Mally and the twins had a special place in her heart untouched by any other love she'd ever experienced. The love of a mother for her children.

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

Sara introduced herself to the school secretary and explained that she had to bring the twins because of urgent matters. The secretary offered to watch them while Sara was in the office, and she happily accepted. Sara had brought a variety of books and toys with her to keep Bailey and Aidan occupied, and prayed it would work. She gave them both a kiss and then knocked on the principal's door.

"Come on in." The principal said loudly.

When Sara came in, Mally was sitting looking defeated in the chair in front of his desk. Her arms crossed defensively, she stared at the floor in front of her, examining her toe nail polish a little.

TBC…very soon. I was going to post this in one chap, but it's really wrong. Still finishing this scene, but I'll have it up within the next day. 

I hope I fooled ya good….more to come.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hello, Mrs. Stokes. I'm Dan Jenkins, the principal here at Las Vegas High. Please take a seat." He shook her hand and motioned for Sara to sit down next to her daughter. Mally looked at Sara with worried and argumentative eyes. She looked really frustrated, but Sara didn't think she looked ashamed.

"Will your husband be joining us?"

"I had to leave a voice mail for him. He's a criminalist, so he might not be able to get away. But I know he'll come in as soon as he can."

Mally looked a little more worried at the mention of Nick, as Sara suspected. She knew that she didn't pack that much punch with the teenager. Mally never really viewed Sara as an authority figure. She respected her now, but Sara had never established herself as someone to answer to when she did something wrong. It was Nick she answered to, and that was something Mally never enjoyed.

"Alright. I needed to call you in today, Mrs. Stokes, because we've recently had some concerns with Mally." He started, keeping his eyes on Sara. "It was brought to my attention that Mally may have used Natalie Grissom's papers to complete her own homework. As you know, Mally was failing chemistry up until a few days ago. I spoke to her teacher, and she informed me Mally's grade has skyrocketed to a 'C' after correcting papers and doing extra credit."

Sara nodded, taking in all this information, occasionally glancing at Mally. She looked upset still, but still the frustration shone through more than anything else. Sara had a feeling she was trying to explain something, and the principal wasn't listening.

"Now, when questioned, Mally…"

"Can I interrupt for a second please, Mr. Jenkins?" Sara stopped him politely as he rambled on. She knew he was trying to do his job, but after having lived with Mally for six years, Sara could tell the teen needed to say something.

"Mally, do you need to say something?"

Mally looked at her stepmother, not sure if she meant she needed to apologize, or if she was actually coming to her defense. When Mally saw Sara's face, she could tell Sara would listen to her. She felt a small pang of relief, or at least hope. Mally had tried to explain this to her principal, but he didn't believe her.

"Yes, I do." Mally said quietly, but with hope in her voice. "I was trying to explain things to Mr. Jenkins, but…anyway. I was telling him that I did take Natalie's papers without her permission, but I didn't use them to copy. I'd already turned in all the papers I looked at, but I was using them to help this other girl in my class. I would've used my own, but I wanted to make sure I was helping her with the right answers. I know I shouldn't have taken Natalie's papers, but I didn't cheat! Honestly! Sara, please believe me. You know I wouldn't do this!"

Sara studied Mally's face carefully. Though she didn't know Mally as well as Nick did, it looked to her like she was telling the truth. There were no signs on the girl's face of lying. When questioned, she didn't look to the right, a telling sign that someone wasn't telling the truth. Her investigative skills sometimes came in handy.

"Okay, Mally." Sara started. "Why were you trying to hide what you were doing? I didn't know anything about you helping another student."

"She was really embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know. Plus, I didn't think you'd believe me if I said I was using Natalie's papers to help someone else. You'd think I was cheating!"

"Well, can you not blame us for being suspicious when you tried to hide it? It made it seem like you were being dishonest, Mally. Why didn't you just tell us?"

"You mean you thought I was cheating too?" Mally asked defensively, suddenly feeling betrayed once again.

"Raising your grade by almost twenty percent in a week, Mally? It looks a little suspicious." Sara admitted, seeing why the principal was wary. He dealt with dishonest kids all the time, so he probably classified Mally in the same category instinctively. Plus, Mally's story seemed a little farfetched. Sara wished Nick was here too to hear Mally's story.

"I can't believe this! All of you are crazy! How can you not believe me, Sara!" Mally was crying now as she looked at her stepmother like she'd been stabbed in the back.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but this is a serious matter…"

"Who cares? You're not my real mother anyways! You shouldn't even be here!" Mally stood up, yelling at Sara. "Dad and I were just fine without you!"

Nick had been listening outside for the last thirty seconds or so. He came to school immediately after listening to his wife's voice mail. Especially since Mally had bee having so much trouble lately, he was in his Denali in a flash. He'd heard enough now outside, so he opened the door.

"Mally, sit back in that chair right now." Nick ordered his daughter firmly, but not yelling. All three pairs of eyes shot over to Nick's form standing in the doorway. He looked angry, but overall concerned. Mally could tell he wasn't there to yell at her and accuse her of things by the form his face took and his stance. His arms weren't crossed, and besides looking authoritative anyway, he didn't look intimidating.

Mally immediately did what her father said. Before, she was fearful of what her father would do, but right now she felt relief. Mally felt like he had come to save the day. Granted, she'd still be in a certain amount of trouble with him, but Nick knew Mally better than anyone. He knew she wouldn't cheat.

Nick closed the door gently and Mr. Jenkins introduced himself, motioning to a chair on the other side of Mally. He picked up the chair to sit next to his daughter, and all eyes stayed on him.

"Thank you for calling us, Mr. Jenkins." He told the principal, and then immediately turned back to his daughter. "Mally, first of all you need to apologize to your mother for the way you just spoke to her." His head nodded seriously in his wife's direction, who smiled meekly, glad that they were now a team again.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I was just really upset." Mally said softly, giving a heartfelt apology, her eyes communicating her sincerity.

"Did you speak to Mr. Jenkins that way too?" Nick leaned on his legs with his forearms, glancing over at Mally once more.

Mally knew what to do again.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

"Thank you, Miss Stokes."

Despite jumping to conclusions in this case, Mr. Jenkins was a very good principal, well respected by students, teachers, and parents.

"Thank you Mally." Nick told his daughter, though still not happy with her behavior. "I only heard vaguely outside the door. Is Mally being accused of something?"

The principal re-explained the situation and allowed Mally to retell her story to her father. Nick didn't say anything, just tried to hear both sides of the story. The principal also revealed that it was Natalie who had turned her friend in, and she was known to be a very honest and trustworthy student throughout the school. No wonder the principal had been reluctant to believe Mally's story.

"Okay, Mally." Nick said when she'd finished. "I've been your father all your life and have never known you to lie to me about things of this magnitude. Are you telling us the entire truth right now?"

"Yes." Mally answered immediately, looking her father straight in the eye. Nick held her gaze for a few moments, taking in the sincerity and honesty on her young face. She'd fibbed to him over the years and been caught every time to his knowledge. But he could tell Mally wasn't lying in this instance. She was dead serious, and pleading with him to believe her. When faced with two 'sides', he had to choose Mally's. He'd known the principal for fifteen minutes, and Mally for seventeen years.

"Okay, then. I believe you, Mally." Nick said, in all honesty having faith in her. His daughter's word meant everything to him. Mally had never given him a reason to doubt her integrity. She'd slipped up a few times, but when caught red-handed she would break down in apologies. This time, she stood her ground.

Nick turned back to the principal.

"Sir, with all due respect, my daughter did not cheat."

"Mr. Stokes, I realize you trust your daughter, but the school has to pursue any accusation of plagiarism. We'll have to compare samples and question both girls more."

Though it killed him, Nick didn't refuse to allow the principal to complete his fiasco of investigation. He was a firm believer of instilling a sense of respect for school, work, and all adults in his children. If the principal wanted to investigate, he would make sure Mally fully complied.

"I don't feel that's necessary, but if you feel that way, I'll see to it that Mally cooperates with your investigation."

Mally looked at her father with a twinge of hurt in her eyes, but then her expression softened. She knew that her father expected her to respect all adults, but it still hurt that he was going along with this. But he believed her, and that was all that mattered in her mind. It mattered above all else, even what Natalie thought of her.

"Thank you, Mr. Stokes." He glanced up at the clock. "There's only about twenty minutes of school left, so you're free to take Mally home now. She can make up all the work she missed the last two periods of the day."

"I appreciate that, Mr. Jenkins." Nick stood up and shook his hand. Mr. Jenkins was a good man, and Nick understood that he had to do this for various reasons. Other kids couldn't see that he just let Mally off the hook without investigating fully. Nick was positive everything would come back ship shape, but if it didn't, Mally would not be a happy camper.

Nick turned to his wife and daughter, who had since gotten up and walked to the door.

"Let's go." He told them. Nick sounded relieved, but Mally knew they'd be doing some major talking when they got home. She knew she'd still be in trouble for taking Natalie's folder and being dishonest about the situation.

Luckily, Bailey and Aidan were still playing happily on the floor. Nick was able to sneak by the twins when he came in, because he knew they'd never stay put if they knew he was here too. Their eyes lit up when they saw their daddy come out of the office with their mom and Mally.

"Daddy!" They both squealed and rushed for him. Nick smiled and bent down, allowing them both to crash into him. He picked both up in either arm and kissed them.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted them. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, daddy." Aidan said.

"First, they need to pick up their toys." Sara told them.

Nick looked at the toys, not realizing Sara had brought them. He put the twins down on the floor once again to pick up after themselves. Bailey whined, but Aidan got right to it.

"Bailey, if you bring toys with you, you have to pick them up or they'll just belong to Mally's school. Do you want that?"

"Nooooo." She admitted reluctantly.

"I didn't think so." Nick remarked as he picked up a couple of books. "I'll help you, come on."

It took only about thirty seconds to clean up between the family and they were on their way out the door. During the ride home, Bailey and Aidan happily told Nick about their preschool day, and then what they had for lunch, then that Aidan had to go to the bathroom really bad, and then that mommy made them leave in the van with her. Mally just sat quietly in the passenger seat (Sara drove Nick's Denali back so the twins could talk to their dad), thinking about all that had gone on that day. She'd found out her best friend didn't trust her and turned her in, that Sara had suspected her of cheating, and that her dad really did fully trust her. So many bad things had gone on, but at least she'd already earned her parents' trust back.

Grissom had been supervising at the scene Nick had to leave, and had told Nick to take as much time as he needed. He'd done the same for him when Natalie and Lindsey had a huge falling out/cat fight. Nick told him he'd be back as soon as possible, but Mally was his top priority right now.

When they arrived home, Mally and Nick helped the twins out of their car seats, and they ran to the backyard to play. They'd been cooped up all day, and the three year olds wanted to run around a bit. Sitting still just hurt their little bodies!

"Be careful, and stay in the back yard!" Nick yelled after them as they ran to the fence gate. Since the yard was gated, they didn't have to worry about them wandering out or someone else wandering in. He turned back to his oldest daughter as Sara pulled in the driveway.

"Let's go talk for a few minutes. Living room." Nick told her simply. Mally looked at him curiously, wondering what he was thinking as Sara joined him next to the van. He gave his wife a quick kiss before starting, and Mally wandered inside.

"What a day, huh?" Nick remarked, running his hands down her hips and snuggling closely to Sara.

"Yeah. You really think she didn't do it?" Sara questioned from his shoulder. Nick adjusted his wife so he was looking in her eyes.

"Of course I don't. She gave me her word."

"Okay, then. If you believe her, that's enough for me."

"What, you don't?" His eyebrows squirmed a little in question.

"Well, I haven't known her as long as you. I'd get her to explain a little more."

"We will be, but I'll take her word over a principal I've known for fifteen minutes."

"Okay." Sara smiled, and kissed her husband once more on the lips. "Let's go talk."

Hand in hand, the married couple walked in the front door. They found Mally waiting patiently on the couch, her legs curled up underneath in a pretzel position. Their daughter wasn't nervous, based on her position, and she smiled up at her parents as they joined her on the couch. She turned to face them, Sara sitting closest to her. Sara leaned back and Nick forward, resting his arms on his legs again, so they could both see and talk to Mally.

"Do you want to say anything else before we start?" Nick asked his daughter.

"I know I shouldn't have taken Natalie's notes, but I was using them for a good reason. I was trying to help my friend. I wasn't cheating." Mally rattled off immediately. Her parents listened intently to her explanation and then Nick started again.

"Okay. You're right," He agreed, "You shouldn't have taken Natalie's folder without asking. It put her in a very difficult position, and she felt she had to turn you in for cheating. We know now that you didn't, but Natalie was really worried there for a while, I'm sure."

"But she should have come to me first." Mally interjected.

"Mal," Sara took over. "If you were in the same position, what would you have done?"

"I would've asked her first."

"Okay, maybe you would. But would you really have felt comfortable doing that?"  
"Yes, I would've." She answered immediately, still disgusted with Natalie. "She should've trusted me enough to know I wouldn't cheat. She didn't even ask for an explanation, she just assumed. That's not what a friend does. She betrayed me when she told my teacher behind my back!" Mally was getting upset again at the recall of events.

"I agree that she should've trusted you. But you have to admit it looked really suspicious from an outsider's point of view." Sara pointed out.

Mally thought for a moment, and it was true. She had been really sneaky without needing to be. Maybe she wanted to see what people would do - who would react and how.

"I guess it kinda did." Mally finally admitted.

"At first glance it did." Nick told his daughter. "My heart dropped when I heard what was going on, but then I listened to your side. But Mal, what I don't understand is why you tried to hide it. If you were just helping someone, why couldn't you just ask Natalie for her notes?"

"I don't know." Mally shrugged uncomfortably. It was silent for a few moments.

"Was it to get our attention?" Nick threw the possibility out.

Mally looked over at her dad. She hated to admit she was upset about her cut in her parents' time, but she did miss the attention. Maybe something deep down inside caused her to act out in response. It sounded so childish, but it made sense in a way.

"I…I don't know." She muttered. "I guess I miss the attention sometimes with the twins and all." Mally maturely admitted. She looked outside to see her little brother and sister chasing each other in the yard, laughing and carrying on. They were the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. Besides Sara and, of course, her dad.

"Well, it's okay to come to us. We can arrange for a little alone time." Nick told her, touched that he still meant so much to her. Many parents he knew wouldn't shut up about how rebellious, rude, and awful their teens were, so Nick was thankful to have Mally. She was such a good kid.

"Okay." She smiled a little shyly. "Thanks."

"But you still shouldn't have taken Natalie's notes without asking." Sara jumped back in, giving her daughter a serious look. Nick looked at Sara proudly, glad that she'd taken a step in her parenting of Mally. He was planning on still punishing her for taking the notes and being dishonest, but he was glad Sara had jumped back in.

"I know." Mally admitted. "I'm still in trouble for that, aren't I?" She winced between her two parents, hoping the punishment would be light. Since she'd taken such a positive attitude, they'd go easy on her.

"We'll just ground you for today and tomorrow." Nick decided, looking at Sara, who nodded in approval. "And you need to make a phone call to Natalie. Then that's it. Up to your room for the night."

"Okay." Mally was surprised. That wasn't bad at all. "Thanks, guys, for understanding." She hugged and kissed both her parents and then headed upstairs to her room to call Natalie. Well, she'd wait a little while because she was still angry at her. She didn't want to snap at her friend.

Sara turned her head to look at Nick, who smiled back at her.

"That was good." He admitted to Sara. "You're a pro now, you know that?" Nick gave her a slow kiss, loving her for being a great wife, great mother, and just a great person. He couldn't believe she'd married him.

"Thanks. You weren't too bad yourself." She smiled.

Nick laughed, causing Sara to join in, and they kissed sensually and tenderly for the next few minutes there on the couch. Sara pulled back from the kiss after a while, and looked back adoringly at her husband. Now was the right time.

"Nick, there's something I need to tell you."

A/N: haha! The cliffhanger. I hope you liked the fact that I didn't make Mally cheat after all. I was debating whether to do it or not. I was planning on making her cheat, but then had this idea over the weekend. LEt me know if you think the change is totally lame. I already have the next chapter half written, so I'll post it once a get a few reviews. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Wow! Y'all spoiled me with the reviews from the last chapter! I'm so glad you agreed with my decision not to make Mally cheat (well, the vast majority). I guess it just wasn't somewhere I wanted to go with her character after all. She's a good kid, darn it! More may be revealed about who this girl is Mally's helping. Thanks once again for sticking with me, and please click that little button at the bottom, and I'll love you forever!

Nick looked at his wife curiously. She always had stuff up her sleeve. By the way she said it, though, it sounded pretty important.

"You're such a nut." He told her, kissing her nose. "What is it?"

"Well you know how I said I was a pro at this parenting thing now?" She smiled, watching Nick's face for any sign of comprehension.

Nick's eyes darted around and went back to his wife's face. Oh dear god. What?

"Yyyyyyeah…"

"Well, I think I may be pregnant again." Sara told him, full out grinning now. Nick was speechless and flat-out shocked. They'd decided not to have any more children for now at least, and Sara was on birth control.

"What?" He asked incredulously. Sara couldn't decide if it was a happy 'what' or a freak out 'what'.

"I said I may be pregnant." She repeated slowly for effect. "My period is five days late."

Nick and Sara both knew that her period came like clockwork with her being on birth control. But it was supposed to be foolproof, dammit!

"Are you serious?" Nick breathed out, allowing a small smile.

"Yes. We're going to be parents again."

"Really?" Nick looked into his wife's eyes and could see she was tickled about this, and that made him tickled. He couldn't deny it any more – he flashed one of his trademark grins, lighting up his entire face. Sara laughed at his reaction and leaned in for a passionate kiss.

"Another one?" He said between kisses. "We're gonna have four?"

"I think so. I need to go to the doctor to find out for sure."

Nick reached out and touched his wife's belly, rubbing gently. After caressing her flat stomach for a few moments, Nick bent down, lifted up her shirt and kissed her bare abdomen.

"Hi baby." He whispered.

"Nick, it's just a zygote. It has no cognitive thought."

Nick dropped her shirt back down, cleared his throat, and gave his wife a sheepish grin.

"It's never too early to talk to it."

"Awwww. What a good daddy!" Sara teased him. Nick helped his wife up and swatted her on the butt once as they headed outside to join the twins.

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Mally sat in her bedroom next to the phone. She needed to call her best friend Natalie, but didn't really know what to say. How would she start? How would she explain why she took her folder without asking? Mally wasn't sure if she wanted to be friends with Natalie right now. She still felt very betrayed by the whole thing.

Mally wasn't ashamed to admit she still needed a little guidance. Her parents had more life experience than her, so she'd ask them. She loved her dad unwaveringly, but in this case Mally decided to ask Sara. She was a female, and understood teenage drama and the cattiness that went along with it. Mally opened her bedroom door and trotted down the stairs. She timidly walked outside where Sara was holding Bailey on her lap in the grass, and her father was tossing a wiffle ball to Aidan. He was the first to see Mally.

"Mal, what are you doing out of your room? Is everything okay?" Nick asked, surprised that she was out. But then he saw the look on her face and could tell she had been in deep ponderance.

"Is it okay if I ask mom for some advice?" Mally looked at her dad hopefully.

Sara had since heard her question and stood Bailey up, kissing her on the cheek.

"I'm gonna go talk to Mally for a minute, okay?" She told her daughter. "You stay here with daddy."

Bailey waddled over to her father and embraced one of his jean-clad legs. She was in a rare cuddly mood. Nick took advantage of this, picking her up, and felt his heart warm as Bailey wrapped her legs around him and settled her head on his chest. Sara and Mally walked back inside, and closed the door.

"What's up?" Sara asked as they sat down on the couch.

Mally let out a dramatic sigh and rested her head in one hand on the back of the couch.

"I can't figure out what to say to Natalie."

She had Sara there. Sara hadn't been what you call popular in high school. Sure, she had friends, but all they really talked about were the academic clubs they were in and what grades they had. Sara had never really experienced full-on teenage drama. Honestly, she didn't know what to tell her daughter, but she'd sure try.

After a few moments' pause, Sara began.

"Well, Mally, I can't say I have much experience, but I'll give it a shot based on what I know."

Sara saw the way Mally looked at her with such awe, ready to listen to any tiny piece of advice she might throw her way. It reminded Sara just how hard being a teenager was. She was trying to follow her heart, but was unsure of herself. Sara would try her best, and hopefully everything would turn out okay.

"If you're still mad at her, it would probably be best to leave it a day or so. Get your feelings in check. The last thing you want to do is snap at your best friend."

"But dad told me to call her right away." Mally said, not wanting to disobey her dad. The last thing she wanted right now was for her father to be upset with her again, though Mally knew it was ridiculous for him to mad for not calling Natalie yet.

"I'm sure he'd understand." Sara told her. "And when you do talk to her, just be very honest. Tell her it upset you that she thought you cheated. That your trust of her has been broken. Because she has a lot of explaining to do. She's probably more nervous than you are."

"What if she's mad at me?" Mally worriedly asked.

"Well she has a right to be, after you took her folder without permission. You should probably apologize for that. That's a big trust issue for her too."

"I know." Mally mumbled. What Sara just explained was what her heart had been telling her, but it felt comforting to hear it from an adult. Sometimes Mally wondered if what she was feeling was totally abnormal, but Sara always made her feel sane. "Thanks, mom."

"No problem." Sara smiled and patted Mally's knee, about to get up.

"Hey, mom?" Sara sat back down and raised her eyebrows in invitation. "Did you really think I cheated?"

Sara sighed, hoping she wouldn't ask that, but it was an honest question.

"Well, sweetheart, I just didn't know what to think. I mean, everything in the evidence told me you were, but I really didn't think you'd do something like that. So, I was skeptical, but I really didn't want it to be true. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of." Mally answered after a bit of a pause. Sara had faith in her, though she had every right to question her intentions. "Thanks for not jumping to conclusions."

"Anything for you, kid." Then Sara kissed Mally on the head and ruffled her hair a little. "You better get back up to your room though, unless you want to tell your dad what you're doing."

"Nah. Will you just tell him I'll wait a while to call her?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks, mom." Mally hugged Sara before they departed ways. Sara joined her husband and the twins outside, Bailey still snuggling in Nick's arms. She smiled as she approached him, giving him a tender kiss on the lips. Nick could tell she'd taken care of things. Things that maybe he in all his maleness couldn't understand. That's why he was so glad to have Sara.

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Natalie heard a knock on her bedroom door, where she'd locked herself up after school. She was so ashamed and confused. How could she do this to her best friend? Mally probably hated her guts right now. She hadn't seen Mally after school to apologize, and she'd learned Mally had been called to the principal's office. Who knew what happened in there? Natalie figured she was probably in huge trouble with the principal, and knew her parents were firm believers in punishing her at home for any problems at school. She was on the verge of tears again when she told whoever it was to come in.

Natalie could never be happier to see her father at that moment. She desperately needed him to tell her what to do. But what would he think of her? Would he be disappointed that she hadn't gone to Mally first? Somehow she doubted that when he sat next to her on her bed and kissed her forehead lightly.

"Hi, sweetheart." He cooed gently. "You've been up here since you got home. Is something bothering you?"

Gil had immediately noticed a change in his daughter's demeanor that afternoon. She had been so giddy and hyper lately since she found out she'd been accepted to Stanford. On cloud nine was an understatement. She'd been all smiles for about a week now, so it was easy to suspect something when a sullen teenager returned home. He assumed it had to do with the reason Nick got called away to go to Mally' school.

At his gentleness and support, Natalie just broke down crying, putting her hands over her face. Gil didn't say a word; just pulled Natalie into a warm hug, stroking her back and kissing her hair occasionally. She just needed to cry right now, and he'd find out what it was about later.

When Natalie finally pulled away from beneath her sweet spot under his chin, Gil kissed her head once more and stroked her hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He offered.

Natalie nodded, but was still choking on her tears a little. She felt so safe at that moment, knowing her dad wouldn't judge her. He was always such a good listener, and so wise.

"I'm in a huge mess, daddy, and it's all my fault." She started, about to start crying once again, but she controlled herself to get through this.

"I'm sure it's not as bad as you think."

"Yes it is!" She sobbed, "Mally took my chemistry folder without asking, and I thought – I was sure – she was using it to copy my answers, so I turned her in to Mrs. Flaherty…"

"Is that her chemistry teacher?"

"Yeah. So she had to report it to the principal, and then I ran into Mally at lunchtime, and I confronted her, and then she got all mad and said she was using my papers to help tutor this other girl in her class."

"Wait, you turned her in without asking her first?" Gil was a little puzzled. He thought his daughter would give the friend she'd known all her life the benefit of the doubt. He wasn't disappointed, but a little shocked.

"I know. I'm an awful friend, dad. What do I do?" She begged him. Not that he understood teenager girl drama, but he sure did seem to know a lot about life. He'd helped his daughters work out numerous problems before.

"You're not an awful friend, Natalie." Gil made clear. "Is she in trouble at school then?"

"I don't know. I heard she got called to the principal, and then I didn't see her after school."

"Her dad got called into school, I know." Gil told her, knowing that's not what Natalie wanted to hear. She'd definitely gotten her friend into major trouble if her parents had to be called in. But Gil knew what type of father Nick was – he wouldn't jump to conclusions. He'd listen to what Mally had to say.

"Should I call her?" Natalie thought she should, but wanted anything Gil would give her.

"I think that would be a good idea, Nat. But wait until you're ready. Get all your thoughts together first. I'd wait a little while."

"Okay." That made sense to Natalie. She was still pretty shaken up herself, and figured Mally was too if she was in trouble. Maybe she'd call later that night, or talk to her at school tomorrow. "Thanks, daddy."

"Come here." Gil motioned for a hug again, holding her close for a few moments. He knew being a teenager was rough, especially being a girl nowadays. "Dinner will be ready in an hour."

Gil left the room, hoping he had equipped his young, naïve daughter with the tools necessary to handle the world. She had a good head on her shoulders, which he couldn't be more thankful for after raising Lindsey. Lindsey was a good kid, but made some bad mistakes. Natalie had a lot more common sense and a huge heart. Gil smiled, knowing it would all turn out okay.

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Sara giggled as she watched her husband kiss and caress her bare stomach once more that night as they lay in bed. The kids were supposedly long since asleep, though they could never be sure. Nick's hands held Sara's sides still as he ran his tongue over her perfect skin, nipping and kissing as he went. He was already in love with the idea of having another child. When his tongue darted into her belly button, Sara squealed a little too loudly. Nick stopped and leaned up to kiss her on the lips, swallowing her excited sounds.

"Ssshhhhh…" He warned her. "Don't wake up the kids. I want to be able to finish what I'm starting." Nick smiled.

"And what exactly are you starting?" Sara teased him, wrapping her arms around his neck. As she felt his hand touch her intimately, she got her answer, as if she didn't know.

"You need to be quiet and be good, or you'll never find out." Nick kissed her tenderly once more, and then his kisses moved all over her face, ears, and then her neck as his hands went to work. She was thrilled that he was so excited about this. It made it that much more wonderful.

The next few hours were spent worshipping each other's bodies and swallowing each other's moans as they practiced the dance that had brought them the sleeping loves of their lives in the adjoining rooms. Six was a good number. Definitely a good number.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Thanks for the reviews once again. I have an idea of where this baby thing will go, as you will read in this chapter, but I am open to suggestions. I'll trump 'em if I don't agree, but I'd love to hear what you think: ) Thanks for reviewing.

Sara and Nick woke up in each other's arms the next morning. Nick sweetly kissed Sara's neck to wake her up. It was her turn to go to work today, but it was finally Friday. Sara turned in bed to face her husband, smiling sleepily.

"Good morning, mommy." Nick told her, still thinking about the fact his wife may be pregnant. Sara put her hand on Nick's hip, patting it lightly.

"Hello, daddy." She laughed, and then kissed him slowly on the lips. They just stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes, touching each other gently, still so in love.

"Should we tell the kids today?" Sara whispered.

"I don't know. Maybe we should wait until we know for sure." Nick suggested. Telling the kids they were going to have a new brother or sister would be a big deal, and he didn't want to disappoint them if Sara wasn't pregnant after all.

"You're right."

"Of course." He agreed self-righteously. Sara lightly slapped him on the cheek and they were soon in fits of laughter, playing around.

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Mally heard her parents giggling in their bedroom. It didn't sound like they were doing it, thankfully, just horsing around. They did that sometimes, but at least they were still into each other. The senior forced herself out of bed, running into her doorframe sleepily as she found her way to the bathroom.

Mally was never super-excited about school, but today she dreaded going. First of all, she'd have to see Natalie, and she had no idea what her friend was thinking. It would be weird and awkward and she'd just rather not see her. Secondly, she'd have to face the principal again. He still didn't believe her, and he'd be grilling her with questions and comparing work samples. Mally knew he wouldn't find anything, but it didn't feel good to have someone investigate you.

She took her time in the shower, trying to enjoy it as much as possible. Mally savored breakfast time, but got reprimanded for eating too slow by her father.

"Mal, why don't you grab a breakfast bar and eat in the car. We have to go." Nick hurried his daughter. He knew she really didn't want to go to school today, but they'd had a conversation about sticking out the tougher things in life. If she didn't go today, she'd still have to go Monday and face the same things. There was no point avoiding the inevitable.

Mally pouted like a little kid, abandoning her Cheerios and grabbing her backpack. She wasn't very hungry anyway. Nick grabbed his keys and could see she wasn't reaching for a breakfast bar.

"Mally, you need to eat breakfast." Nick told her, his eyes no-nonsense, as he reached into the cupboard and tossed his daughter a Nutri-Grain. Mally sighed and took it reluctantly. Sara finished getting the twins ready for preschool as Nick drove Mally to school. Normally, it would've been Sara taking Mally since she was heading to work, but today Nick wanted to make sure his daughter was alright.

"Are you gonna be okay today?" Nick asked as they drove down the road in the Denali, stealing a glance at Mally.

"I don't want to go, and I know you're gonna say I have to, so what's the point in arguing?" Her tone snappy and her arms crossed.

"I know it's going to be hard, but remember what we talked about?"

"Yes, dad!" Mally snapped, "That's why I said let's not argue."

"Watch your tone, please." Nick reminded her, "Everything will turn out fine. And you can call me at home or even Sara at work if you need to."

Nick pulled up to the drop-off circle of Las Vegas High School and turned to Mally, who opened the door immediately. Nick gently grabbed her wrist before she could bolt out. Mally looked back with a scowl on her face.

"We love you sweetheart, okay? And don't worry, everything will be fine." He looked her in the eye, hoping it would help soothe her worries. Mally nodded, but looked down at the floor. As soon as she felt her father's grip loosen, she took her hand back and shut the door. Nick watched his daughter walk up the steps, willing her to be strong. Just like he taught her.

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Nick arrived back home to help Sara finish up before she had to go to work. On her lunch hour, she was scheduled to go to the gynecologist to see if she was really pregnant. Sara's stomach was in knots as she tried to get the twins ready to go.

"Momma, I farted!" Bailey announced, standing naked on her bed as Sara helped Aidan with his underpants.

"Bailey Catherine, we do not announce when we fart. It's not polite." Sara reprimanded her daughter. Bailey wasn't taking well so far to manners, though the parents constantly worked with her. Farting was just the funniest thing ever.

Nick had to chuckle a little as he neared the twins' door. Bailey was a character and he knew she'd be a handful as she got older, as if she wasn't already. He opened the door to find Bailey jumping on her bed as Sara struggled with Aidan.

Nick clapped his hands together to get his daughter's attention.

"Bailey Catherine Stokes, we do not jump on our beds." Nick told her firmly. It seemed the only thing they ever told her was what not to do. Don't talk about farting; don't jump on your bed; don't put your brother in a headlock.

Bailey knew to stop when her father got home. She could still get away with a lot around her mommy, mostly because she just got tired of reminding her. But her daddy always meant business, so she ceased her misbehavior immediately.

"But I heard you and momma jumping on your bed last night!" She argued, sitting down on her bed. Nick walked to Bailey's dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of underwear, denim shorts, and a white flower t-shirt, and couldn't help but laugh along with Sara.

"Come on over and I'll get you dressed." Bailey happily ran to where her father was standing and he helped her into her clothes one by one.

"Daddy, Baiwey's being bad!" Aidan informed his daddy. His sister was getting on his nerves this morning, and he didn't care if she got in trouble.

"Is she?" Nick asked curiously, glancing at his wife. Sara rolled her eyes and nodded her head. With two the same age, it was hard to keep both in check. "Well, I hope she won't do anything else, or she'll get a time-out."

Bailey looked in thought as she listened to their conversation. Crazy males.

"Baby, do you want to go get ready for work? I can finish here." Nick suggested.

"Yeah, thanks." Sara said, getting up. She kissed Aidan, who still needed his shirt, and ruffled Bailey's hair as she passed.

"Daddy, why do you call mommy baby?" Aidan wondered, sitting on the floor to wait for Nick to finish with his sister. "She's not a baby."

Nick chuckled a little.

"It's just a nickname, bud." Nick explained. "I call Mally, Bailey and you baby sometimes too."

"I thought onwy Nick was a nickname." Aidan said. "Coz ya know…ya know your name is Nick and that's your name, daddy."

Nick pulled Bailey's shirt over her head and kissed her head, then turned his attention to his son.

"You're right, Aidan." He took his son by the sides. "But if someone goes by a different name, you call it a nickname. Even if your name's not Nick. You understand?"

"I guess."

"You guess?" Nick smiled. He took his son in his arms and blew a raspberry on his stomach, sending him into peals of laughter.

"Daddy, stoppit!" He giggled.

"What was that?" Nick teased. "You said, keep going daddy?" He kept blowing raspberries and Aidan had no way to escape. Bailey huffed and slowly headed downstairs, one huge step at a time.

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Sara smiled as she listened to Aidan's squeals coming from down the hall as she headed into her bathroom. The twins were hyper this morning, so she was glad it was her day to go to work. But their unconditional love for her was what kept her going; them, along with Nick and Mally. She couldn't think of a more perfect lunch hour, confirming her pregnancy with her third child. Sara didn't think she'd be able to get through the morning.

Last night, Nick and Sara had done a drug store pregnancy test. It had turned up positive, and they were thrilled, paving the way for yet more love making that night. She smiled as she thought of how excited Nick was at the prospect of another child.

Sara sat down on the toilet to use the restroom and looked down. Then she saw it – blood in her panties. Sara's heart dropped. She felt like crying. She'd gotten her period. Dammit! She was so sure she was pregnant. She was late by six days on birth control! How could this be? Sara quickly finished, took her panties off to be washed, and reluctantly found a tampon in the cupboard. Crying, she walked into the master bedroom that was attached to her bathroom.

Sara went through the top drawer of her dresser looking for a fresh pair of panties when she felt two large, warm hands on her bare hips. Sara's face shot up and looked at Nick in the mirror in front of her. He dropped a kiss to her shoulder as he gazed at her.

"What's wrong, baby?" He asked gently.

Sara knew he would be crushed, but had to tell him. He wasn't going to be a father again after all.

"I got my period." Sara whispered, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to see his heartbroken orbs. He didn't say anything for a few moments, and then rubbed her hips a little.

"Oh. Okay." He whispered back, a little sadly, "So you're not pregnant?"

"No."

Nick could see Sara was very upset about this. They had been so sure. There had been a pregnancy test, and her period was late. Nick wrapped his arms around his wife in a supportive embrace.

"It's okay, baby." He kissed her cheek and rocked her back and forth a little. "We can always try on purpose if we decide we really want another child."

"You mean you didn't really want another baby?" Sara's eyes studied her husband questioningly in the mirror.

"Sara." He started, fishing out a pair of panties from the drawer and handing them to his wife, "You know I'd be completely in love with any baby we have together, but you have to admit now wouldn't be great timing."

"How so?" Sara thought she knew, but she wanted Nick to explain. She put her panties on so she was at least covered now, not that she cared at the moment.

"Well, Mally's about to head off to college, and you know how helpful she was with the twins. That would be one fewer set of hands to help out. Plus, the twins are only three, and they're a handful by themselves. If we were to have another child, I'd want to wait until they were in kindergarten at least."

"There's never a good time to have a baby, Nick." Sara reasoned with him, now turning around to look at her husband face to face. "There's always some excuse. I'm pushing forty, and I would like to have at least one more child."

"Okay, well it sounds like we need to seriously discuss this then. But not when you've just found out you're not pregnant." He kissed her on the lips. "You've got a lot of emotions playing around right now."

"So, when I'm talking about wanting another baby, it's just my emotions, Nick?" She said in an accusing tone, moving away from his grasp. "You don't know what I'm feeling! You didn't carry two babies for eight and a half months, and have morning sickness and have your boobs hurt! I want to be pregnant again, Nick! Now!"

"Sara, listen to yourself!" Nick tried to whisper, "Your head isn't straight right now. I know you're upset about not being pregnant, but that doesn't mean we should jump into things."

"But you were so happy when I told you I was pregnant." Sara's eyes were welling up with tears. His emotions couldn't be fake. He was genuinely happy that Sara was pregnant.

"Sara, like I said. I would be happy with any baby we make together, no matter what the timing. Of course I was happy. But right now is just not right."

"Fine." Sara finished, storming off to the bathroom. Nick just stayed back, stuffing his hands in his pockets, giving Sara some space. He thought pregnant women were scary, but now he was dealing with a woman who thought she was pregnant and wasn't.

Sara threw her pants back on, threw on a little make up and stormed back out the bedroom, giving Nick an evil glare. Nick followed his wife down the stairs where she kissed the twins goodbye. Bailey and Aidan looked a little confused. They could tell when someone was upset, but the grown ups never seemed to tell them what was wrong.

"Bye momma." Aidan said quietly, and Bailey waved, her eyes worried.

"Bye, my precious and my prince." Sara told them, gathering up her things. Nick stood by the table just watching again. He thought she was actually going to leave without saying goodbye to him, but then she paused on the way to the door. She couldn't leave like this. Sara walked back over to her husband and kissed him on the lips.

"We'll talk later, okay?" Nick whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Okay." Sara sounded civil now after her spiel. She knew it wasn't fair to expect him to be all for another baby at this point in their lives. But they'd be talking later.

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It was the end of a long, trying day at Las Vegas High as Mally put some books in her locker. She'd been at the principal's office the first two hours of the day, while he drilled her questions, and she waited while Natalie and her chemistry teacher were in there. Finally, the principal deemed Mally a non-cheater and sent her on her merry way. She didn't wait around for Natalie.

Mally could sense someone approaching her locker with her peripheral vision. It was Natalie.

"Hey, Mally." She said timidly.

"Hey." Mally replied, glancing quickly at her friend, or whatever she was now. They were both nervous and uncomfortable.

"I just wanted to say sorry for getting you into this. I just wasn't sure if…"

"Okay, Natalie." She stopped her friend. "Let's not talk about it right now. Not in the hallway of school."

"You're right. Do you want to go back to my place?"

"Sure."

Mally finished getting her books together and shut her locker. She'd just aced her chemistry quiz, and was feeling pretty good about the day. She'd gotten through the principal's interrogation, and it seemed that she and Natalie were going to work things out. Mally smiled at Natalie and they walked down the hallway, ready to go home and ready to be friends again.


	16. Chapter 16

Mally walked back into her house to the sound of screeching and her father's voice giving strict directions. Most likely, Bailey had acted up once again. As she continued up the stairs, she could tell the voices were coming from inside the upstairs bathroom, the one she normally used. Bailey seemed to be protesting something, but she'd let her dad handle it like he always did. She and Natalie had just had a long, productive talk, and were friends again. They'd both apologized for their wrongs, and they were able to move on. Hey, they'd worked through their problems for seventeen years now. She really needed to go to the restroom, so Mally decided to cut through her parents' room and into their bathroom.

Mally washed her hands when she was done and examined her face briefly in the mirror. Then something caught her eye. A pregnancy test was sitting in the trash can on the floor. Mally squatted down and examined the box to make sure. It had been opened, and there was nothing in there, indicating it had been used. What wasn't she being told? Were her parents trying to have yet another little booger?

"You need to go sit on your bed until I tell you to come out." Nick told Bailey, as he opened the bathroom door, gripping his daughter's arm firmly. As Nick led her to her bed, Mally saw her little brother come out of the bathroom also, and he looked teary-eyed. Aidan saw his sister and demonstrated the universal sign for 'pick me up', by extending his arms up.

Mally's heart melted and she instantly reached for her blubbering brother.

"What's the matter, Aid?" She cooed, stroking his hair away from his eyes.

"Baiwey's mean!" He reported, clinging to his older sister.

"Oh yeah? What did she do?"

"She was pwayin' in the bafwoom and momma said not to, so I toad on her. She hitted me and cawed me a name when daddy came in." His voice was raspy with emotion.

"Oh, no." She soothed. "That wasn't very nice of her. Is daddy punishing her?"

"Yeah." He rubbed his eyes.

"See? Everything will be okay." Mally never thought she'd be thankful that Nick punished his kids whenever they misbehaved, but Bailey was a handful and needed consistency. Aidan was such a teddy bear, and needed to be protected sometimes from his conniving sister. Mally kissed her brother's head and took him into her bedroom. The twins weren't allowed in there, so it was a treat for the three year old.

Bailey was bawling her eyes out from the next room as Nick set her on her bed and gave her a few more strict corrective words. He wanted to swat her a few times on the butt right now also, but he promised he wouldn't. Instances like this were the hardest times to restrain himself, as she had put her and her brother's life in danger by playing with some toilet bowl cleaner that Mally had accidentally left out.

Nick took a deep, calming breath as he emerged from Bailey's room. He looked in the bathroom for his son, who he'd had to leave scared for the moment. When he didn't find him, he looked next in Mally's room. Nick breathed a sigh of relief as his eyes fell upon his two oldest children.

"Hey, bud. Are you okay?" Nick asked gently as he sat on the bed next to where Mally held her brother on her lap.

"Yeah." He said tearfully. Aidan lunged at his father, wanted to be held. Nick had raised his voice a little, but instead of being afraid this time, the little boy felt comforted and protected. His daddy had come to his rescue.

Nick winked at Mally in thanks as he cuddled his son, kissing his head.

"Well, I bet momma will be home in a few minutes. Why don't we all go downstairs?" Nick suggested, standing up with Aidan. The little boy clung to his father, and Mally followed closely behind them. She was just itching to ask her father about the pregnancy test, but couldn't in front of Aidan.

Between them, Nick and Mally cheered Aidan up playing in the living room. Nick started dinner when Sara walked in from work. She was greeted by contented faces, minus one missing.

"Where's Bailey?" She asked her husband as she kissed him hello.

"Serving a time out in her bedroom." He informed her.

"Uh-oh. What did she do this time?" Sara put her things down as Aidan clung to her leg, elated to see his mommy.

"She was playing with toilet bowl cleaner in the bathroom." He said quietly, and then rose his voice so Aidan could hear the next part. "But Aidan was such a good boy. He came and told me right away."

Sara beamed down at her son, who smiled proudly up at her. Yeah, he was a good boy. She picked him up and perched him on her hip as she praised him.

"You did? That is a good boy!" Sara kissed him multiple times. "We don't play with things in the cabinets, do we?"

"Nope."

"I'm glad you remembered and told daddy."

"Dad, I need to talk to you." Came Mally's voice from a few feet away. Now that Sara was home, she could steal her father for a few minutes.

"Sure, sweetheart." Nick told her, giving Sara another kiss. Mally started walking outside, and Nick just followed her. It must be pretty important if she wanted it this private. She sat down on the porch swing and Nick joined her, glad to be sitting down once again. "What's up? Did you talk to Natalie?"

"Yeah, I did. Everything's fine." She quickly got down to business. "Why was there a pregnancy test in your bathroom?"

Nick had a deer in headlights look on his face, so Mally knew she had stumbled upon something important. He knew something, and he wasn't prepared to tell her about it.

"Why were you in our bathroom?"

"You and the twins were in the other one!"

Nick sighed deeply, not wanting to have this conversation, but she had a right to know. Plus, Sara wasn't pregnant, so there wasn't much to hide.

"Sweetheart, Sara thought she might be pregnant, but she's not. It was just a scare."

"Are you trying to have another kid?"

"Mally, that's between me and your mother."

He didn't want to lie and say they weren't trying because Sara had made it very clear that she wanted another kid.

"So you weren't even going to ask me if I wanted another sibling? It affects me too, you know! How much of my life has been spent taking care of Bailey and Aidan?" Mally was getting upset. It seemed she was always being left out of things. Her parents seemed to think she wasn't old enough to understand adult issues, but was old enough to be expected to help regularly with child care. Well, she was part of this family too, and she was almost eighteen years old.

"You need to calm down." Nick tried, motioning with his hand to settle down.

"Come to think of it, you never told me how my mother died! Did you not think I could handle that either? How did she die?" Mally demanded, seething.

"Mal, don't do this." Nick told her, his tone dead serious.

"No! I want to know! I can handle it, dad."

Mally stared at her father and he didn't want to look her in the eye. She knew it must be something horrible. He didn't want to tell her, but he couldn't keep it from her forever.

"I don't want to tell you at this stage in your life, but if you really want to know, I'll respect your wishes."

"I want to know." She repeated seriously. Nick looked into his daughter's eyes for a few moments. He really didn't know if she'd be able to handle this.

"Mally, your mother died from a drug overdose. Methamphetamine. She'd been using for years, and it finally killed her. That's how she died."

Mally looked straight ahead, taking in the new information. She'd learned all throughout school how awful drugs were, and she swore no one she knew did drugs. But now she finds out her own mother did drugs? Did she take drugs when she was pregnant? Did her father know? Why didn't he stop her?

"Mally…" Nick reached to hug his daughter, afraid of the expressions crossing her face. They weren't good, and he could tell she was about to snap.

"No!" She pushed him away. "Why didn't you stop her? Why didn't you get her help?"

"Sweetheart, I tried to, but she wouldn't stop. Believe me, I didn't want her to be taking drugs."

"So you knew, and you didn't get her help? Couldn't you send her somewhere?"

"She was a firecracker. There was no controlling her, Mally. I tried everything, but she had to make her own decisions. She was in control of her actions, and I couldn't stop it."

Mally glared at her father for a few more moments. Then, in a flash, she was off the swing and running for the gate. Nick tried to grab her arm, but she was too fast. She went running out of the yard and off down the street.

"Mally!" Nick yelled at her, running after the emotional teenager. "Mal, get back here!" He thought he'd be able to catch up with her, but decided it was better to let her run. Nick stopped and watched her take off down the street. If he wasn't mistaken, she was probably heading for the Grissoms'.

Nick rushed back inside and got on the phone. He dialed the Grissoms', and Catherine picked up.

"Catherine, it's Nick. Listen, Mally just got really upset and she ran off. I think she's heading for your house."

"Why's she upset?"

"She found a pregnancy test, but Sara's not pregnant. And then I told her about how her mother died."

"Oh, Nick." He felt like a lecture was coming on, so he stopped her.

"Catherine, will you keep an eye out for her and call if she comes your way?"

"Sure thing."

"Thanks."

Nick knew he could hop in the Denali and hunt his daughter down, but she really needed her space right now. He had people looking out for her, so he knew she'd be safe

CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI CSI

"You let her run away?" Sara gaped when Nick informed her their daughter was missing. It had been over two hours now; plenty of time for her to get to the Grissoms', and she hadn't arrived yet. She was probably just still walking, but with their jobs, Nick and Sara were extra ancy about Mally running off. The twins were playing in the backyard, and their parents were arguing in the kitchen.

"Sar, she was really upset. She needed her space."

"She's grounded!"

"Huh?"

"She's not supposed to be going anywhere, Nick! She was over at the Grissoms' earlier, and now she's out wandering around? Doesn't sound like she's following the rules to me!"

"Don't be ridiculous. It's been a hard couple of days, and she needed to get away." Nick explained. He knew Mally's intricacies, and knew she wasn't deliberately disobeying him. She just needed to be alone. But that didn't mean disappearing for over two hours was okay.

"I think we should ground her for longer."

"Well, I'm her father and I don't think she should be!" Nick yelled, letting the emotions get to his head. Truthfully, they were both just worried about Mally, and stressed from the day's events, and they weren't thinking straight.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sara snapped back. She hated when he got all possessive of Mally when things got heated. In the end, Mally always seemed to be HIS daughter, not THEIR daughter.

The front door opened, and in walked a tired looking Mally. Her hair was messy and her face defeated. One look at her, and the parents immediately forgot their quarreling and rushed to her.

Mally concentrated on the strong embraces of her parents, closing her eyes and taking in their scents. They clung to her, like they were afraid of losing her. Mally knew she'd scared them, but she couldn't stand to stay there any longer.

"Mally, why'd you do that?" Nick questioned his daughter, gently holding her head in his warm hands. Sara got her a glass of water. He kissed her forehead and then lead her to the sofa. "You scared the crap out of us." Nick continued seriously.

Mally's eyes welled up, and she took a sip of water.

"I just needed to leave." She croaked out as Nick stoked her haggard hair gently. She knew he'd forgive her, and that he was just glad she was home safe. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

Sandwiched between her two parents, Mally felt safe and protected as they both pressed a loving kiss to her head.

"You just had us worried for a while." Sara told her. "But don't do that again, okay?"

Mally nodded and finally just put her head in her hands and started sobbing. Too much had happened recently for her to deal with on an emotional level right now. First, her troubles in school and with Natalie, then finding out about her mother, her slight jealousy of her siblings, being accused of cheating, and the threat of a new sibling without her say so. Mally was overwhelmed, and she just let her emotions spill out again. She'd cried on her walk, and she still needed to continue now. Somehow she felt comforted by the fact her parents were always there for her no matter what she did.

Nick and Sara stole glances between each other. They'd been arguing so much lately about Mally and the twins that they'd momentarily forgotten what was really important. They knowingly met each other's gazes, speaking silently to each other, understanding that their fighting didn't matter right now. All that mattered right now was the teen sitting between them and their two precious children outside.

Sara rubbed Mally's back gently as she calmed down as Nick leaned down to see how she was doing.

"You're safe back home now." Nick reassured her, though it was more for him to hear.

"Why didn't you tell me you're trying to have another baby?" Mally asked, her voice tired and croaky. The parents shared glances again and decided to tell her the whole truth; everything they'd discussed so far.

"Sweetheart, we weren't trying for another baby." Nick started softly. "But Sara's period was a few days late, so she took a pregnancy test."

"Aren't you on birth control?"

"Yes, I am. But it's not one hundred percent. The test came back positive, but this morning I started my period."

"We weren't going to say anything because she wasn't pregnant. There was no reason to worry you with all you've been going through lately."

Mally almost snorted a little. How could they think she didn't want to know? Sure, she was emotional, but this was important stuff.

"Well, it affects me, so I'd appreciate if you told me about these things."

"Mally, that's not the type of thing we're just going to tell you." Sara explained. "It was between your father and me. At the time, it was none of your business."

"We weren't trying for a baby, Mal, is the main thing. We would ask you first if we were planning on it." Nick assured her. He wasn't about to agree to tell his daughter all about the intimacies of his relationship with his wife. It _was_ none of her business. "You need to respect our privacy, Mally."

"Fine. Can I stay at Natalie's tonight?" Mally quickly changed the subject. She still didn't want to stay home tonight.

"No, Mally. You're grounded, remember?" Nick pointed out, though Mally knew perfectly well.

"So! We have to practice our dance for the recital." She whined.

"I'm sorry. You know the rules in this house. No exceptions. Plus, it's only two days."

Mally huffed and got up off the couch, snatching up her glass of water. She'd made some progress with her feelings with her parents, but she was still angry with them. And now she couldn't escape it. She was stuck here for the night when she needed Natalie the most.

"Mally, you're lucky we don't increase it with that stunt you just pulled." Sara called after her daughter. Mally was a sweet girl, but lately she'd become more disrespectful to both her parents. Nick knew what his wife was thinking, and pulled her gently to sit back on the couch as Mally stormed up the stairs to her room. They heard the door slam.

"She'll be fine."

"What's with her attitude lately?" Sara asked, as if he'd know the answer.

"Beats me. I guess just a whirlwind of emotions." Nick leaned back, kicking his feet up on the table.

"Do you want to talk about reproducing, now we've started?"

She sounded so technical and business-like about it, the way she talked. Nick gave her a curious look, testing her level of humor. Sara smiled a little and laid her head down on Nick's reclined chest.

"Shoot, kid." Nick gently stroked her hair, letting her vent.

"Okay. I'm thirty seven years old, and you're thirty nine. My biological clock is ticking down and I want to have at least one more baby."

"At least?"

"Yes. And if we wait much longer, we'll be old geezers by the time our offspring hit college. I want to be able to play with them when they're little, and still be active. It'll be harder in my forties."

"True." Nick agreed, seeing her point. "But what if we have more Baileys? How will we ever keep up with the little devils?"

The two parents smiled, thinking of their youngest, and glanced outside. Bailey was chasing down her brother and winning. She was a handful, but she was a gift, just like Mally and Aidan.

"I think some kind of molecular abomination must have occurred when your sperm found my egg."

"Is that what you're calling it?" He smiled down at his wife. "And what if we have twins again? Raising two at the same time has been trying, I have to tell you."

"We'd deal with it, like we are now. You never know, we might have a really easy kid for once. A Rhoades Scholar and winner of the National Spelling Bee." Sara dreamed. "A future forensics genius, who holds the same curiosity for…"

"Sara, it sounds like you want to mail order a kid. It doesn't work that way."

"Well, that wouldn't be any fun. We'd be missing the best part." Sara sat up and leaned in to kiss her husband sensually.

"And what's the best part?" He smiled into her lips, teasing.

"Do I have to show you again?" She moaned, kissing his face and his laugh lines as they peeked out.

"You are the expert, Mrs. Stokes."

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After dinner, Nick suggested to Mally they should pick up a game of catch, something they hadn't done in a long time. Mally jumped at the chance to be out of her room and happily agreed. She'd been moping in her room until it was dinnertime and had gotten over some of her emotions. The warm, dusk air did wonders for her spirit as she found a spot on the opposite side of the yard as her father. Sara was entertaining the twins on the swingset when the father and daughter started throwing back and forth.

Loving the feel of the ball hitting her glove snugly, Mally couldn't help but notice her younger brother watching them in awe. He really did think this was a cool game, and Mally couldn't agree more. She'd loved doing this exact thing with her father ever since he taught her when she was four. It had been just them back them. Always just the two of them throwing back and forth. But it occurred to Mally it could be more fun with more people. Before, she had been defensive about anyone else playing with them, but right now she wanted nothing more than for Aidan to join in. He looked up to her so much, and Mally wanted to make sure Nick had someone to play with when she was gone at college next year.

"Mawwy, can I pway too?" Aidan asked, practically reading his sister's mind. Nick watched his daughter, leaving it up to her. She'd gotten pretty upset a month or so ago when the twins had joined in, so he didn't want to tread on that ice again with all her emotions right now.

Mally met eyes with her father and smiled. Yes, it would be wonderful if he joined in. That would make it perfect. Mally went to the tub of toys they kept just inside the back door and managed to fetch out her old mitt. The one she'd used when she first learned.

"Sure, bud. Use my old mitt."

Aidan's eyes lit up as Mally tossed him her old mitt. He knew how important that mitt was to his big sister, and even at the tender age of three, knew something very special had just happened.

There in the back yard on a warm spring evening, Aidan learned how to play real catch with his daddy and his big sister. And nothing could be more perfect.

THE END!

A/N: Any interest in more? I have some ideas swimming in my head for a sequel, but just checking to see if there's still interest out there. If so, how many years should I jump ahead, and should they have another kid? What should it be? Thanks as always for reading and sticking with me!


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